Peripatetic Mare

Hanoi,, Vietnam Jan, 2012

2012-01-18T03:36:00.000-08:00

Hanoi, Vietnam, January 14 -17, 2012
what can one even begin to say about Hanoi. It defines the word cacophony. It is hard to describe the chaos that is this city. Mostly this is due to the multitude of motorbikes which now have a growing number of cars and trucks to contend with on inadequate roads. Unlike India there are no animals like cows, or camels like Egypt but these guys just lean on their horns constantly and zip in and out. It was an adventure just to cross any street. you just have to commit and keep going even if one of them is headed towards you. Despite all that Hanoi is absolutely unique. the capital of Vietnam, their is more of a military presence here. Rather dour soldiers stand at some spots and order people around, especially over near Ho Chi Minhs mausoleum. We stayed in the old quarter in the heart of the city for nearly 4 nights at the May de Ville hotel another oasis located on the street where the ladies kill and gut the chickens. this is getting to seem normal to me now. I hardly. Glance at them as I walk by though I have to admit that I marveled at one lady's stall as she had trussed her hens fully plucked but still with heads and feet. the heads were stuck and tied between the feet and the hens had looks of horror. In their rears she had placed a rose sticking out. I hope the picture turns out.
Anyway the weather remained drizzly and damp though not really cold. We walked for a few ,miles and eventually made our way to the infamous Hoa Loa. Prison better known as the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain was imprisoned for 6 years. It is an old French prison formerly used in the torture of Viet revolutionaries. It was so harsh and sad. There was, of course, quite a bit of propaganda but it was still absorbing to look at.From there we cabbed to the Ho Chi Minh museum which was a riot. was like going through an Epcot exhibit showing how Ho had changed the world. a short distance away his body lies embalmed and on display but only in the AM and we missed it. Instead we went to his house which was built on stilts and simple but beautiful. I guess he could have lived in the palace next door but wanted to show the people that he was like them,. He is still a cult figure and you really had to watch your step around these areas. The guards kept ordering us this way and that and I was not going to argue with them.Bert has become an aficionado of pho and he found a good supple of it a block. From the hotel, alternating between pho ga - chicken, and pho Bo-beef.
The next morning we left for a 4 hour van ride to Ha Long city. Ha Long bay is newly named one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. It is a bay filled with limestone karsts and hills which rise out of the water in many strange and odd shapes. There are about 500 replica junks which can be hired to ply the waters. we went with a group of 14, we were the only ones over 40, who were a mixture of nationalities, luckily everyone spoke English and that was the language used by our guide ,Tu. The ride there was long but tolerable as you get to see the many towns and villages. we had a great lunch of fish and rice and chicken and then visited a floating village and fish farm. the people live all the time on the water and was quite interesting to see their way of life. We then took a kayak and paddled through a tunnel to a hidden lagoon . the cliffs rose up all around us. No one spoke loudly. It is a place of peace and tranquility. We also had the joy of seeing the sun for the first time in a week. It was fleeting however but timely for this excursion. at the end of the boat ride we visited a limestone cave which was wonderful. The ride home went well with a rest stop. glad we went. Cost only $45 each and well worth it.
On our last day after a morning resting we went to the famous water puppet show. It is held in a 300 seat theater with a regular stage but a 3 foot deep pond in the front. The puppets act out various scenes from Viet mythology with dragons and fish and emperors and such. Very entertaining and easy enough to understand though it was in Vietnamese. The accompanying music was wonderful,as well..
At 8:30PM we left the hotel for the chaos of one last taxi drive back to the airport. Let me say I have had many Kamikaze drivers but this young man could have beaten them all. I kept thinking as he sped into oncoming cars that I made it through a month in southeast Asia eating and drinking God knows what but I was going to die on the way home. so glad to finally see the airport! we flew during the night not sleeping at all due to cramped seats. Unfortunatelymwe had a18 hour layover in Tokyo as had to make our own way from Narita Airport to Haneda the c loser to the city airport.
First time in Japan and I was shocked at little English the people we had to depend on could speak. this included the information people as well. Of course, I know I know no Japanese but I was thinking that maybe they had to learn in school or something. Anyway we made it onto a local train. Dumped our bags at Hamamasucho station . Wandered down to Hinode Pier to take the water taxi to Asukusa, the old section. Nice ride. Old section a bit overrated but was fine. The weather was sunny, yeah! But absolutely freezing. We walked for miles hacking away with our now pathetic coughs. Ended up,at the Art museum for western art, saw a ton of Monets and ate at mcDonald 's. I know heresy, but it didn't even taste Ike McDonald's anyway. For our fares ell we too, the monorail to Haneda and here I sit finishing this up with Bert sound asleep on the benches at the gate. we have been up for 37 hours now and the flight is in 3 more.
This was a good trip,as they all usually are. I loved each place for its unique qualities. I think it is awesome to see all the young people who backpack around these places getting to know the cultures and people. they are the future leaders and it can only be a good thing that when decisions are made whether business or political, they have these experiences to draw on . they are good kids. Hardly any Americans but lots of Aussies and Europeans. We Americans need to get out there and get to know other peoples. To paraphrase Mark Twain, travel is fatal to prejudice.

Hue, Vietnam

2012-01-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

January 13, 2012. Hoi An to Hue
As I am sitting outside the room waiting for the cab to take us to Hue, noticed a group of ladies busy working in a circle under the bridge next to the hotel. Upon closer inspection it seems they are running the chicken operation. Young women bring them 3-4 live hen held by their feet, squawking, swear they are yelling "help me!". The first lady grabs them and wrings their necks, the second one holds them to a fire, the 3 rd plucks them and the 4 th cuts them and bleeds them. then. They get a customer with a plastic bag and off they go.
To get to Hus, the old French Capiital of Vietnam we hired a car and driver for $55 for the 3 hour drive. Along the way we drove through Da Nang, and passed a very pretty beach which ran for miles along the South China Sea with a backdrop of mountains fringed with clouds. this was the only snippet of sun that we have seen and it felt glorious. As we headed up and over the Hai Van pass we entered the clouds and very twisty turns and grades. the traffic was fairly light and we made good time passing the many villages and rice paddies. Hue is an old city with not many tall buildings. those that are here are rather well proportioned . It is bisected by the perfume river which is sounds prettier than it is. the draw here is the Citadel. A complex of temples and palaces which were built 200 jyears ago by the Emperor and occupied by his successors until Ho Chi Minh took over in 1945 . They were bombed during the 1947 French Was and ,of course, by the US forces in the 60s. Theyare slowly restoring the site but it is a huge task. There is still a lot to see and we spent almost 4 hours wandering in and out and around. we watched a traditional music group practice for a show in the Royal Theater. For the ride back to the camellia Hotel, which is a great place, we used a cyclo. Basicly a bike driven rickshaw. the guy piled me on top of Bert and away we went into the obscenely crazy traffic. More than once I closed my eyes sure I was about to be creamed by a motorcycle or cab. Have to say it was fun but not for the faint hearted.Dinner at the restaurant next door. Again$7 for a lot of food and it was pretty good. Bert has become a big fan of pho, the national rice noodle dish.

Hoi An ,Vietnam. Jan 12,2012

2012-01-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Today was our full day in Hoi An. It continues to rain softly and I feel as moist as a fish but it isn't too bad. we have pretty good wifi so good to hear from everybody at home. We spent the day visiting the various preserved old houses. they are somewhat similar being made of teak with Chinese or Japanese influences. All have altars for their ancestors with the ashes in small urns with coins next to them and incense sticks burning . Each though has some significance and they all were absorbing. there are hundreds and hundreds of small shops now housed in former shop houses just like in the old days. Many of them have a women making what is being sold and it is fun to watch whether it be a silk print or a silk lantern or an embroidered painting. We have eaten all our meals at a restaurant on the dock called the Cordon Bleu. the staff knows us now and we barely have to order. After lunch we hired a lady with a small boat to take us out on the river where we saw a duck farm, girls casting nets for fish, lovely homes and restaurants and some cattle and water buffalo. the hour long ride which cost 5 dollars went quickly. As we walked along the quai I saw a silk shop and decided to have a dressing gown made. it will be ready tonight at 7 and I am excited to have it as a souvenir of this truly unique town. they are famous for their tailors and shoe makers. Truthfully the only thing that would make it better would be to see the sun.
tomorrow we have hired a driver to take us to Hue. we had wanted to take the train but it is soon Tet or the New Year, a time where Vietnamese people come home from wherever they are and all the seats are sold out.

Hoi An Vietnam Jan 11,2012

2012-01-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

After taking turns staying awake all night some did not miss our early AM flight, we left our cubicle at the Tune Hotel,and flew Air Asia to Da Nang, Vietnam. Now it is getting cooler and as it is the rainy season it seems to continually drizzle. A bit grey. In the cab from the airport shared with a young couple from Amsterdam and Dubai, we passed the former air force base made famous on the nightly news during the 60s and early 70s. they have left it intact except for the decay of 40 years. Right near it is China Beach, the famous r and r place of the GIs. now it is filled with luxury resorts. we were headed for Hoi An and I was getting nervous and hoping that it was as quaint as it has been written about and not like China Beach. no need to worry. This is a UNESCO city which has been virtually preserved. Out hotel,is about 16 rooms on the river Huy Hoang River Hotel. Our. Room is directly on the river with a big balcony overlooking the bridge and boat traffic. As small as Tune was, this is huge with a marble bathroom and TV with CNN and BBC. All for $55 with breakfast. If the sun were out life would be perfect.
Hoi An itself doesn't hide anything. they wash the dishes you just ate on in the river or in small pans in the street. the marketplace is for the locals mostly. Want to have duck? they will wring its neck for you and hand it over. I watched a lady sitting with a fresh uncooked pigs head, arranging it so nice on her platter.There are temples everywhere as well as preserved houses of the various Chinese merchants and traders who have lived here over the centuries. Nearly everywhere are the ubiquitous motorcyclists with their infernal horns.Everyone is constantly in motion yet it can be peaceful. so colorful, I find it hard to describe. not a lot of tourists though we stick out like sore thumbs with our height and light hair. Prices are cheap especially after Australia. Fresh beer is 20 cents a mug and tastes great. dinner for two runs about 5-7 dollars. the unit of currency is the dong and you get 20,000 to the dollar. They seem to be just as happy with dollars. When Bert went to the ATm at the airport, they would only dispense 2 million dong or $100, so we're millionaires for awhile!

Malaysia Jan 10,2011

2012-01-11T03:20:00.000-08:00

Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia Jan 10,2012
So after a fitful night in our oven of a room , we boarded a bus and train to the city, capital of the country and located for some reason about40 miles from the airport. anyway this went well and it interesting to see the countryside which bamboo, palm trees and rolling hills. Very tropical. hen you get to the towns they are modern looking and by the city there architecture is amazing. everything looks brand new. this city just has sprouted up in the past few decades after the war. they were dominated and ruled by the British and occupied during WW2 by the Japanese, as,of course, was Singapore. They got their independence in the 50s, had the problems with communist guerillas from 48 to 60s but now fairly stable and prosperous. tin was mined , there is a lot of manufacturing, prices are cheap. We took the hop on bus for a few spins around the city and learned a lot. Enjoyed seeing the twin Petronas towers which were the tallest in the world for a few years. Stopped at the national, museum, visited the hibiscus garden. spent time at KL Sentral the train station. another nice city, not maybe as user friendly as Singapore but glad we came.

Singapore part 2

2012-01-11T03:17:00.000-08:00

Singapore Jan. 9,2012
Now that we are masters of the metro known as the MRT we took it to Little India to see some of the Hindu Temples and the stalls, crafts, sights and sounds ,etc. The best one we saw was Sri VeerenramdamKallang . the outside was a kaleidoscope of various human, animal and goddesses in every color carved facing every which way. Inside the temple which is dedicated to the goddess Kali, there were many worshippers praying and giving flower and food offering in exchange for blessings from the two swamis who were dispensing red and white ashes in dots on their foreheads. We wandered around as it began to drizzle again and came upon a house from the old days. One of the last Chinese villas which luckily was preserved and now is used as a herbal pharmacy. It was painted in dozens of colors and was a delight to look at. we also found and bought and ate tiny finger sized bananas which are so sweet.
I really liked little India as it has it's own personality and was not thinking I would enjoy Chinatown which was next on the list but I was in for a surprise. this area was so lively and entertaining. It is now a series of pedestrian only streets with hundreds of stalls selling everything from kitsch to herbs to food to antiques to fortunes to tailor made suits. we went into the Buddhist temple of the broken tooth or something like that. I think they have a piece of Buddhas tooth. anyway lots and lots of Buddha statues lining the walls and again many devotees kneeling in front of the altars. We found the god of the year of the rabbit, for 1951 and 1939, our birth years,
We picked up the bags at the Lavender Hotel, great place and headed for Changi airport still using out MRT card. Such a good deal for about $5 a day. A premier airport with a few swimming pools, free movie theaters, Tv rooms for free, over 500 free Internet computers, 8 gardens, even a 3 story slide if you spend $10! Almost hated to leave but I think Singapore is really one of the nicest cities I have visited. Jetstar air took us to Kuala Lumpur in a 35 minute flight. Malaysia and Singapore were once the same country until about 50 years ago. they still speak the same language, many of the same customs etc but Malaysia is predominantly a Muslim country. Most of the women wear long colorful clothes and head covering. It is so hot I cannot fathom how they stand it. We landed at KLIA , kuala lumpar international airport which was astoundingly modern. first time I ever entered a foreign country without having to fill out a single paper, they just digitally fingerprinted us. This airport was amazing, on a par with the new Delhi Airport. however since we are to fly next to DaNang we had to stay at another section which is located 20 miles away. this must have been the old airport , we took a bus for 2.5 ringgits for 25 minutes. Our hotel, the Tune Hotel, is the only hotel for miles. Our room could only be described as a cell. there was a bed with 1 foot clearance around the edges, no closet, no TV, tiny tiny bathroom. We were allotted 1 towel for the 2 of us for the 2 nights and only 12 hours of air con and electricity. to conserve we took turns turning off the air on during the night. there was only a 1 foot wide window in the bath which opened onto the window of the room across., no table,8 feet by 8 feet and no phone. Wow, and it cost $50 a night!

Singapore Jan 8, 2012

2012-01-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

Today we disembarked from the Zaandam in Singapore. This island nation of 4 .5 million is one of the cleanest, well run places I have ever been. I know they are strict - no gum, crazy import fees for cigarettes, no graffiti and you get jailed for jay walking. No Kidding. We were standing for about 5 minutes at a light waiting for the little map to turn green, there no cars anywhere and yet the 5 or so young men standing with us refused to cross until it was green. Was so weird. they were literally afraid to get caught. We are staying at the V Hotel lavender just above the Mrt station. great location and free wifi but the tiniest room you ever saw. Can almost touch each wall at the same time. Still we are never here except to sleep. Mastered the Mrt or mass transit immediately and it is awesome. So easy to get around . the first place we went was to Raffles Hotel. I used to love to read Somerset Maugham as a high schooler and I knew how he came here to write and hang out. Was so cool to finally see it. the hotel is as beautiful.as I wanted it to be. about 100 years old with ceiling fans and a guy dressed as a ancient pasha who greets the guests. gorgeous gardens and even a museum detailing the famous people who stayed here from Kipling
to Noel Coward.
We Walked around the historic areas though it had started to,drizzle and then rain. Late lunch at a street vendor. not too sure what we ate but was good . In the evening we took the train and a bus to the zoo, to their Night Safari. this was one of the best zoo experiences I have ever had. They open when it gets dark. there is a fire show with Borneo fire eaters and then an animal show with some trained nocturnal animals. Then a tram ride through the rainforest past many many different mammals from Malayan tigers to sloth bears and lions to a
L kinds of cattle and deer and antelope. Many animals I had never heard of. It really was a different experience. funni
Y enough as we exited we ran into some of our friends from the ship who happened to get there and finish when we did. such a small world.

2012-01-08T00:57:00.000-08:00

Semarang. Borobudur Jan 6, 2012
Our last stop in Indonesia. Semarang is a large industrial port on the island of Java. there is not much of anything to see here other than some remnants of when the Dutch ruled for 350 years. This island which is quite large also has a myriad of volcanoes. they are the mountains I used to draw as a kid when I was drawing a scenic vista. In other words they have pointy tops, perfect cones. There are clouds swirling around them and they look mystical.
We have a 2 and a half hour ride each way to the temple of Borobudur. There seems to be no such thing as a highway in this country. there is a short toll road but it corresponds to what we see as rte 1 in the states., and it only lasted 10 km. Mostly we passed small towns and villages, markets with fruit piled high, rambutan, bananas, mango, durian. do you know about durian? It smells like stinky feet and is banned from all indoor public places. It is said to taste divine but I haven't been able to taste any as no one would let it on the bus. We did love the snake fruits. Anyway the time passed quickly as I watched the traffic and the lives of the javans from the bus window.
Borobudur is a Hindu temple stupa. Shaped more or less as a pyramid with carvings telling the story of Buddha and the gods along the side in fantastic stone reliefs. It is again that kind of blend of Buddhism and Hinduism. There were many people there though all Asian except for our crowds from the ship. To get to the top and nirvana I climbed the hundred or so steps. these steps though we're over 2feet tall each so, rather than climb you kind of haul yourself up. Nearly all of our group made it to the top. From there we could see the volcanoes in the distance, notably Mt Merapi which exploded last year and nearly obliterated Borobudur. Apparently the lava stopped just short of the foundation of the temple. Our guide, Hasta, told us there were huge boulders which flowed with the lave along the streets and we saw the men still hauling away trucks filled with the ash. After a lovely lunch at an outdoor restaurant we commenced the long ride back to the ship. the weather which had been warm and cloudy turned dark and huge buckets of rain commenced as we got back to Semarang. we have been very fortunate with the weather so far as this is the rainy season and we are in the tropics after all. this is our last day in Indonesia and it has been quite interesting. Of course you don,t really get that much into the culture when traveling by ship as opposed to when you are staying night after night but still you get the flavor. Next we disembark in Singapore. From then on we are are on our own. Looking forward to it. Have enjoyed our fellow passengers very much. Few Americans, mostly Australians with a few Canadians. Still it will be nice to be Captains of our own ship and destiny- for better or worse!

2012-01-08T00:54:00.000-08:00

Bali Jan 4, 2011
Bali is one of the 17, 000 islands that make up Indonesia. It measures about 100 miles by 70 miles. it seems to be a bit unique from the rest on Indonesia distinguished mostly by its mainly Hindu and Buddhist religious structure rather than the predominant Islam of the rest of Indonesia. Consequently the architecture is a little different as is the attitude of its people which is laid back and zen. It is very mountainous like the rest of Indonesia with many volcanoes. Very popular with Australians who come here in droves for their vacations especially to Kuta a surfing beach on the southern coast. Everywhere you look are palms and bamboo and rice fields. Each of the Balinese houses ,which are built one next to the other ,have gardens which contain shrines. these are quite ornate and there are always fresh flowers placed as offerings. The roofs of the houses turn up on each corner to the sky. Chickens in the yards or pigs or sometimes calves.
We had a group of 27 and had a late start due to some miscommunication . Jeffrey did not meet us and turned us over to Fidel who said little. We travelled up towards to Kintamani , for a buffet lunch overlooking several volcanoes. After lunch we ventured back through the very narrow twisting roads to Besakih, the mother temple. This series of outdoor pagodas built many centuries ago is situated under a volcano in the cloud forest. there were many beautiful statues to the Hindu gods. Here we met Jeffrey who had been waiting for us. unfortunately there was little commentary about what we were looking at and we just spent an hour wandering up the steps through the different sections. actually this was kind of nice as I usually don,t remember the specifics of all these places. I like to just retain the feel of the place. we were required to wear sarongs , probably more a scam to get $3 more than anything else. there were also lots of young men who buzzed around demanding to guide us and just were plain pests and then rude when we declined.
At this point Fidel informed us there was little time left as we had a long drive to dinner. We asked to stop though at a coffee place. Here there was a herbal garden and we all got to taste Luwak coffee which is the famous coffee made from the beans which have passed thought the digestive system of a type of feline animal. I will look up the name when I get home. I had heard of this before and it was kind of cool to try it. they had one of the animals in a cage but it was resting in a hollowed out log.I got a photo but not too clear.
Dinner was pretty much a disaster as the guide drove us 2 hours to a restaurant on a beach in Jimbaran a tourist trap. food awful but on the plus side we did see the Monkey Dance which is performed on the full moon and a couple of Balinese dancers. so we were a bit disappointed in our day as it was long and too disorganized.These things happen though and I have learned my lesson. Not sure if I would go back to Bali. it seems to be changing and modernizing. we did get to see much of the back country and I am grateful for this.
I

Indonesia

2012-01-08T00:47:00.000-08:00

Komodo Island, Indonesia Jan 3,2012
We woke up as we arrived at the harbor of this largely uninhabited island. there is a good reason that only 1000 fishing families live close together in a small community outside the National Park. There are no roads , no vehicles and basically no infrastructure. We were a group of 30 who banded together via the Internet prior to the cruise . the cruise line would not allow anyone ashore who had not booked an excursion with them with the exception of any group who managed to set up a tour on their own- namely our Cruise Critic group. for the price of a third paid by other passengers we were tendered ashore first to the park entrance. there we all opted for the 4 km hike to see the famous denizens of this remote island- the Komodo dragon. Our guide, Jeffrey Buana met us at the entrance and along with several rangers each equipped with a long forked stick, we set off. within a few minutes along the jungle like trail we came upon a deer with impressive antlers in the forest. From then on we had to walk in silence as noise annoys the giant lizards. these guys grow to 15 feet and weigh300 lbs. They are also quite ornery and nearly the most poisonous animal there is. t is the saliva that contains the poison. In fact it is so potent that all they have to do is bite their prey and then just wait around for them to die. There are no fences , no way to really protect yourself other than those forked sticks. they had to use them a few times as we came to the water hole and there were 6-10 of them wandering around. I was getting a good video of one of them and was backing up as it headed for me and nearly into the one right behind me. Luckily the ranger grabbed me and pulled me aside as the large male crossed within 3 feet of me. It was wild and wonderful. It always amazes me what you can do outside the confines of the US and all the worries of lawsuits. As the group behind us caught up we moved on passing a green viper snake and climbing to the highest hill overlooking the harbor. What a panorama. After we climbed down and navigated the market set up to sell us wooden dragons of every size, we climbed aboard a small boat which took us Pantai Merah or the pink beach.. the boat tied to a mooring to protect the coral and we transferred to a glass bottom boat for a short ride to the sandy beach. I could not begin to describe the many ,many types and colors of coral and fish. The greens, purples, yellows, blues of the coral were surpassed by the multitude of shapes and sizes of the fish that swam in and out. Awesome. As soon as we got ashore I was back in the lagoon snorkeling. This was even better than Bora Bora last year. this incredible living reef just a few yards from shore was the best I have ever seen. All too soon we returned to the boat where the Indonesian crew had made a lunch for us of chicken, rice, fish,shrimp noodles and the best tasting bananas, mangoes and pineapple you could imagine.One of the best shore excursions we have done. Komodo itself was the pristine south sea island of my dreams and imagination. Now Jeffrey dropped us off and took the boats the four hours to Flores, the nearest island with amenities , where he will board a plane to Bali and meet us tomorrow at 11 AM! I so hope my pictures turn out.

Darwin Jan 1, 2012

2011-12-31T19:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year,s , Todaybwe are iN our last port, Darwin which is 12 degrees below the equator. It I
S HOT. . Not too much to domherebthough the stores have opened for us. There is only a population of 75000 so when you drop 1200 off, it is wise to open your store no matter what day it is. we walked around to the Smith St Mall which
Has free wifi. the highlight of the day talking to Brian, Brit and Robert. Saw the cathedral. th
Is city has been destroyed by bombs during ww2 and in 1974 by a cyclone. Most of the buildings are new so not too much charm.

Cairns, Australia.december 8,2011

2011-12-31T19:23:00.000-08:00

Cairns December 28,2011
We still had the Suzuki Swift until 1 PM so we got up at 5:30 AM to hit the road. We were able to park it for the night alongside the ship for $3, one of the biggest bargains we have found in Oz. Cairns is funny in that it is so small but has the widest streets. It is easy to navigate as there are so few roads. We headed north out of town towards Daintree National Park. The road follows the coast of the Coral Sea with mountains on the left. The mountains are covered in palm, eucalyptus ,fig and jacaranda trees. Whenever we stopped the car you could hear all kinds of bird and animal calls. After reaching the tiny village of Daintree we started back by way of Port Douglas. This area is obviously very well off with lots of resorts and high end shops. Reminded me a little of Palm Beach in Fla. but on a smaller scale. I think I prefer Daintree, the old hippie colony . Saw various abörigine areas especially around Mossman. Though time was short we stopped at one of the sandy beaches by the side of the road. There I collected many tiny perfect scallop shells. The sea was warm and just such a serene way to wade along the shore. No waves just quiet lapping of the water. You cannot swim at this time of year due to the presence of poisonous box jellyfish. There was no way I was going to take a chance on getting stung by one of those guys. The sea was tempting though. Got the car back on time after being able to FaceTime with Robert. So awesome to actually talk with loved ones from halfway around the world. Just reminds me of StarTrek. Here we are over 10,000 miles from New York and we can see his face today and Brit's last night. God bless McDonalds and their wifi.
Now we have 3 days at sea, sailing around the Great Barrier Reef, through the Torres Strait which separates Australia from Papua New Guinea and the on to the top end of Oz, Darwin which has just experienced a cyclone this week.

2011-12-27T17:54:00.001-08:00

Cairns. December 27,2011
This is a smallish city in the north east is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and to the many rainforest areas along the coast. It is very tropical, has large wide streets with palm trees, not many people, clean and safe. I see a pattern with these Oz cities. We rented a Suzuki car and drove, on the left, to Kuranda, an abörigine settlement in the mountains. We get to stay overnight here which is nice. On the way to Kuranda we got lost but did find the Baron river gorge which was not too different from those I have been to inNH. The difference here is that no one stops you from swimming in the river and playing on the rocks. When we finally found Kuranda most of the tourists had gone home. There is a cable car here and old railroad. By 5PM it was very quiet. We walked along a jungle trail which was fabulous. It was dark and eerie with lots of animal calls and howls We could not see them but they were there. We did see a strange looking turkey with a flaming red head and bright yellow throat.Also saw green parrots. I did think I saw a koala in a tree but cannot be sure. I am still looking for a kangaroo. I may have to go to a zoo. almost the best part of the day was stopping at a McDonald,s which had wifi and I was able to connect to file these blogs and to check messages. Even better Brit was online and we face timed . So cool!

Brisbane, Australia. Christmas, 2011

2011-12-27T01:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas day found us in Brisbane. This shiny city of 2 million is located a few miles inland on the Brisbane River. The ship we are on, the Zaandam docked about 4miles away as the river becomes too shallow to navigate. To get to the center or CBD central business district , as it is called, we took a catamaran called the CityCat. These catamarans effectively are used as busses. We were one of the first off the ship at 7AM and had the cat to ourselves. Since it is Christmas virtually nothing is open so we rode the 35 minutes to South Bank which is the main park in the city center. It is an urban oasis consisting of different walkways, bamboo gardens, rainforest boardwalks.a Nepalese temple and a giant ferris wheel left over from a world exhibition held here in 1988 . It was interesting to see how Aussies observe the holiday. Basicly they have huge picnics in the parks comprised of large family groups and friends. South Bank has a man made beach with lots of water features and young and old had a blast playing in the various pools and fountains and beach. I searched in vain for WIFI to no avail so felt awful that I couldn't get in touch with our children and grandchildren. After a couple of hours we headed across the. Ew solar powered bridge to walk through the botanic gardens. Much of Brisbane was inundated a year ago by a massive flood. Many of the gardens were flooded and washed away. Still, though,there were camellias, what a wonderful scent! there were also the ubiquitous black necked ibises. These funny birds are about 2-3feet tall with very long skinny beaks.I have seen them stick those slender beaks in ladies pocketbooks looking for food. When they fly they look like herons , only less gangly and more graceful. I liked what we saw of "Brissie" . Like Sydney it was clean, lots of public conveniences, safe and friendly. The ride back on the cat was equally fun, even better because the guy never charged us,, Merry Christmas to the yanks. He was happy because he was making $450 for his shift.

2011-12-27T01:08:00.000-08:00

Today we met Bert's cousin. Georgia Phillips and her husband Peter. Georgia emigrated here over 30 years ago as a teacher librarian and met Peter. they have 2 grown children, Liz and David who we had abeer with after his work. In the Am we went to the Sydney art museum which was awesome. My favorite painting was " The Ferry" by Fox. We then drove out to watson's bay for lunch at Doyle's and to see the gap. This walk on the sandstone cliff head brought us to the South Head and we could see ahead to the North Head. These are the two guardians to the opening of the harbor of Sydney and we will sail between them tomorrow AM. We then drove to the famous Bondi Beach. The sand is a beautiful butter color and as soft as talcum. not a stone in it and easily packed. there were many surfers and swimmers and we even saw 2 policeman on horseback patrolling the beach. we finished the day's drive with a beer at the local pub where we got to meet David. It was a really nice day and wonderful to get to know Georgia and Peter .
After we got back to the hotel we skipped out again to the QVB to see the unusable clock which beheads the king on the hour. on the way we stopped at St Andrews Anglican Cathredral to participate for a few minutes in carols and the service. sobeautiful to listen to the small boys in their choirrobes and the organ was magnificent. everyone is out shopping and eating and having fun. this city is wonderful.

Australia

2011-12-27T01:06:00.000-08:00

I've left Australia for my last continent, I think, for one reason. I've had some sort of fear of flying so far across an ocean. Other Asiantrips involved going over the pole. guess I thought we stood some sort of chance landing or crashing on ice than five mile deep ocean. anyhow we made it to Sydney via Washington and San Francisco, about 40 hours total. during the last stretch we had a lovely 31 year old woman from SFwho was moving to Australia for a year with a new job. Economy here is better than the US as evidenced by the prices which are astoundingly high. IU have seen $5 for a chocolate bar, al McDonalds is double, other prices I couldn't even believe.
after landing we walked to the next village, Wolli Creek thereby saving $25 on the train. From Central Station we walked the 5 blocks to the Vibe Hotel. nice big room. we dropped o,ur bags, showered and hit the streets. There is a tourist bus ,the 555, which is free and took us to Circular Quay which is the heart of the harbor, the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge are here. we took a ferry to Manly Beach which crossed the harbor giving us spectacular views of the skyline. Sydney has 4 million people, many are Asian and yo,u hear so many different l a gauges. it is extremely clean, vibrant, easy to navigate. Manly was a 30 minute ride and we walked along the Corso, the main pedestrian way to the surfing beach. Very picturesque framed on each end by rocks. We walked along for a short while before taking the ferry back .Dinner at Maloney Hotel and bed at 7 PM.
December 21,2011. Sydney
After 12 hours sleep I feel much refreshed. Today we will join a tour of downtown Sydney starting at the Town Hall. there were about 50 people and our guide was Evan a university students who just works for tips. He was so energetic and we walked for 7 km all over learning so many anecdotes . Sydney was settled about 200 years ago by convicts sent from England. We saw large Cathedrals, the rum hospital, Hyde park, the Victoria mall. outside this was a statue of Queen Victoria and her dog. the dog actually speaks when you put a coin in front of him, a charity thing, so funny though. We ended the tour at The Rocks, the original seedy section which now is the cool area with cafes and shops and cobbled streets. I learned so much and really loved Evans' lively presentation. After a short rest we headed over to inspect the Opera House. this iconic building was a bit disappointing. I thought it would be white but it is a dull butter color and kind of ugly up close. the harbor with all its ferries and boats was wonderful to watch. there were aborigine buskers who played their digeridoos . a warm sunny day at about 72 degrees, just perfect.

2011-12-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

Bhutan

2011-01-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

January 2, 2010 Thimphu
We travelled back from Punakha through the Dochula pass to Thimphu. This time there was snow from about 9,000 feet up. Great driver. These are basically one lane roads and as winding and twisting as anywhere I have been. You literally cannot go more than 1000 feet without a turn.
This is the capital city, population 70,000. there are no traffic lights, none in the country at all. There is one main street with the many small shops. There are absolutely no large stores, Nothing approximating a supermarket or department store. All shopping seems to be done daily. as everywhere here there are dogs. they seem to be one of the major disturbances in this "Land of Happiness". The sleep all day and bark all night. There was an effort to round them all up and cage them but the stronger dogs preyed on the weaker ones and so they were all neutered and freed. Because of the Buddhist belief system they cannot be euthanized.
We went to the Takin Preserve higher up the mountain- everything in Bhutan is higher up the mountain. The national animal seems to be a cross between a goat and an antelope. Very tame. cute and shy. We descended to visit the Thimphu fortress and temple- clean and impressive- and finally, the weekend market. Always fun. The hotel- Jumolthari is on the main street. Night time means dogs barking but OK, we were tired.

January 3, 2011 Tiger's Nest , Bhutan
Because we missed the first day in Bhutan, we arranged for a special trip to Takshang Monastery aka the Tiger's Nest. This sacred monastery is built at 10,200 feet into the side of a cliff. So bright and early, Eddie, Bert and I were driven back a hour past Paro to the start of the trail. For the first part of the terrain we rode horses. Mine was named Rumpenchen. The Bhutanese horse guide let me ride alone though Bert and Eddie were led by our driver and our guide. The exciting part was that the horses walked right on the edge of the cliff- it's down 1000s of feet. Once I just closed my eyes and held my breath but, as I got used to it, the vistas were spectacular. After an hour we reached the tea house with a view across the gorge to the monastery. We stopped for tea, let the horses go and then climbed another 1000 feet. Here I stopped for a while while the men trekked on. I sat for a long time on a rock luxuriating in the peace, listening to the echoes of a barking dog, greeting passing trekkers and monks and smelling the pure fresh air. Though I was not supposed to be alone, I made my way higher to the second viewpoint amid the many tattered colored prayer flags.
After a few hours the fellas made it back to the tea room where we had lunch with our fellow pilgrims. The way down was hard on the knees, no horses, took a while. The guys made it to the monastery, up and down 800 steps. I was impressed. Just a wonderful day!
Jan 4. Bhutan- Katmandu
An hour's drive from Thimpu to Paro, a 50 minute flight on Druk Air to Katmandu. Passed Everest again-ho hum. This is monotonous. LOL
Katmandu was an eye opener. Traffic clogged every street. Most were not paved or any pavement was broken. The bus bumped alongg at 10 MPH at most.Rivers were fetid with garbage and human waste.. children picking through heaps of trash. There were too many people for the city to absorb. Our hotel, Gokarna Forest outside the city is an oasis. Located in a royal hunting preserve, it is fairly modern and has generators. This is a big plus because Nepal only allots 12 hours of electricity a day throughout the country. there is a published schedule and is something like 6 hours on and 6 hours off and changes so that sometimes you have power during the day and other days during the night.
At Gokarna besides the clean rooms, the attraction for me was the monkeys. theymaremeverywhere- even getting into the hallways. So funny to,walk down to breakfast and see the banana peels on the stairs. we had dinner here and welcomed 3 more to our group- now 10 . Our guide is Suladev Panday-Dave for short.

January 5, 2011. Katmandu
Namaste! Our first full day in Katmandu starting with a very long bus ride to Durbar Square, the center.. We passed the Palace where the Royal family was assassinated in 2001. A republic for the past few years , much of the terrorism and Maoist unrest seems behind them. 2011 is the year of the tourist. Perhaps they should have cleaned up a bit more. we walked through the Ason bazaar purchasing tea and eying the spices and eclectic mix of things for sale. Herethe traffic is mostly carts, men and women carrying huge bundles and the annoying motorcycles which honk constantly. Durbar Square is the heart of Katmandu. comprised of many shrines,temples , forts and palaces, millions of pigeons, the usual dogs and touts and beggars, it is all very exotic. We entered the palace of the living goddess. She is the" Kumari" , a young girl around 6 who is venerated by the faithful. Her " reign" lasts about 2 years before another " perfect" 6 year old is chosen from among the girls of Patan. She never leaves the palace except for very rare occasions, such as a festival. all her wishes are obeyed. Anywayshe came to a balcony to wave to us. Expressionless face, I felt sorry for her but then I see how the other children live and I guess she ' s lucky. " Freak Street" was the home of the hippies from the 70s and was interesting. they are gone but their memory lives on in the head shops.
Onto Patan- the second city in the Katmandu valley. again a virtual cacophony of sounds, smells and ancient temples. Lunch in a quiet courtyard was the best food I have had.The vendors are fun to watch and bargain with. " Danny bad" means " thank you" . Still don't know the word for " no"- they wouldn't listen anyway.
We ended the day at a place. Very. Similar to Varanasi, India. Located on a river- now nearly dry- bodies are brought for cremation. Indeed we witnessed several funeral pyres with relatives and friends saying goodbye to their loved ones. Vert eerie to watch. we then climbed higher to see more monuments. we left at 4:30 PM- monkey rush hour. We literally had to pass. Between hundreds of monkeys, making sure not to make eye contact. I guess they get grouchy at sunset. Amazing experience.

January 6,2011
A busy day in kAtmandu. first stop the monkey temple- for obvious reasons. These rhesus macaques are everywhere, even more than the ubiquitous stray dogs. Climbed about 100 steps to the top, a white stupa with surrounding smaller smaller temples and many vendors. Saw chanting monks playing drums and ringing bells in a side temple. So fascinating, in Nepal you see a blend of Buddhism and Hindu- sometimes separate, sometimes together. a large Tibetan influence as well. We also went to Boudhanath, the largest stupa in the world. by now I am somewhat used to the overcrowded slum that is Katmandu. there are, to be sure, pockets of quiet and peace. This stupa is Tibetan, again quite interesting
A highlight today was our trip to Bhaktapur, the third city in the valley. a former kingdom before unification, this UNESCO. Site was wonderful and costs $15 to enter. It is a collection of ancient ornate wooden buildings and temples and almost too much to take in. Except for the motorcycles you would think it was the 17 th century. we ate in a rooftop restaurant overlooking the older square filled with stupas, temples and street vendors selling everything from spices and tangerines to puppets and pashmina shawls. Many of the buildings were made of red brick with extremely ornate Windows's mostly without glass.
n the evening we attend a home hosted dinner in a family home. Our group of 5 ate rice, eggplant, chicken with a side of local moonshine made from millet"The extended family ranged in age from " Mary" who was 3 to her mother who looked about 40 . they had 4 children and assorted aunts and uncles and cousins. Lovely people in a nice home. Would have been even bettering if it wasn't dark and if we had power!

January 7,2011. Pokhara
Today we lleave Katmandu for a short flight- 30minutes via Yeti Air- on an old jet stream prop plane. Right now the pilot has left the plane- explanation in Nepali? OK now the ever present Katmandu fog has cleared and we're off past more magnificent snow- covered 20,000 ft mountain. Tops. We only fly at 13000 feet so very impressive. Pokhara is a smaller, cleaner city on a lake surrounded on 2 sides by those mountains. It looks almost fake. We stop at the trekking place to ditch most of our luggage and then drive 2 hours to the trailhead. Using an all female group of Sherpas to carry our small bags, we walked the old route used by traders for thousands of years past villages and huts along a river . Two hours later we arrived at Sanctuary Lodge, our home for 3 nights. Very beautiful setting next to the river and under the sacred " Fish Tail" , Maccha Picchre mountain. we had a large bedroom with a shower but no heat nor power. WThe water is heated via solar so maybe a hot shower. dinner is near a fire and the hot water bottle in the beds were a blessing. we celebrated Garry 's birthday. What a memory for him!

January 8,2011 Birethanti,Nepal
This AM I am catching up on my journal as the group goes for a hike. It is so peaceful to sit in the sun and write listening to the river. In the afternoon four of us took a 2 hour stroll past the lodge on the path towards more settlements and farms. Packs of horses and mules with large bells and colorful cloths carrying empty gas cylinders rushed past us.We stopped to talk to young children and met again one of the young porter girls who carries our bags other back up the mountain.She is17 and in the 8 th grade and wants to be a movie star. Bert called his daughter Helena after dinner to wish her a happy birthday. Glastonbury CT seems a million miles away. tomorrow we are warned. Will be a very difficult trek up the mountain to the school and the village.

January 9
So I made it to the village. we had to cross a 300 foot long chain bridge over a gorge and then a small log bridge, Up a few thousand steps.. It took an hour. the school has 30 children grades 1,2,3 . The kids were adorable singing their ABCs and numbers in English and Nepali.They loved the Winnie the Pooh books I brought. Lunch was further up in the village- outside with a stunning view of the Annapurnas. In all a 7 hour hike but well worth it.
the spirit here is so serene and peaceful. I have especially enjoyed our guide Santaman. He is a Gutung tribesman about42, small and wiry, and a virtual mountain goat. Maybe five feet tall and 100 pounds but as strong as any man. always a smile, is also kind and considerate. His life has been so interesting- grew up herein the mtns and ran away at age 14 from a strict father . He made his way toPokhara where he lived in the streets working as a dishwasher. He is such a friendly soul and was taken under the wing of an .emglishman, a Mr Edward who bought him clothes and brought him along a s a porter giving him gloves. santaman told me he lost the gloves one day and was so afraid to tell him that he had no appropriate shoes for the work. but Mr Edward understood and bought him the boots and helped him to learn to guide. today he is married with a 6 and 10 year old. he makes $15 a day as a guide.ide. Which is quite prestigious. I will be sorry to leave him. I hope I can send him some business when I get home. He is a terrific man. He even made peace with his now deceased father.
Except for the very cold nights and power only 3 hours a day, this lodge is wonderful. I will not take a heated house and 24 hour electricity for granted again. it is hard to describe this trip to anyone. you have to exappearingperience walking the trails, passing the goats and chickens, women carrying 100 pound baskets laden with wood or manure or crops with straps on their foreheads. Tomorrow we hike out the two hours to the road and then the two hours by bus to Pokhara. I will miss it here
January 10,2011
We hiked down the mountain, it seemed so much easier today. stopped to talk with a physicians asst. He trained for three years and administers vaccines,meds, assists with births, sets fractures and general first aid for the 5000 who live on the trail. So interesting. along the way we were passed by an old man , possobly dying, being carried in a basket on the back of a family member, followed by his wife, son and granddaughter. we stopped to watch oxen plowing a field, the left one a bit confused as it was in tri ing. all in a day in the life of a village on the Annapurna trail. Kids in blue uniforms hurrying to school calling Namaste to us. few. Eg. they are poor but reasonably happy.
a two hour bus ride to Pokhara, pop 300000, mainly a trekking center.Lots of cheaper knockoffs of trek gear. And crafts. we checked in to the Pokhara Grand, a hotel that tis just OKbut at least warm and they get tower 4-6 hours a day. nothing to sneeze at! In the late afternoon we watched " Himalaya " a compelling movie about the kingdom of Mustang and Dolpi. So excited to have heat and a room!!!!!!

January 11,2011. Pokhara
This morning out group was taken on small rowboats out on the lake Fewato a small island with a temple. asit is Tuesday there had been animal sacrifices, thankfully we missed them but we did see the blood. Then a tour of the mountain museum. Bert and two of the men decided to try paragliding. the rest of usenet to the landing area to have lunch at the Maya Devi which is a raptor refuge where we met " Ken" and "Bob" who ate Egyptian vultures. there also 3black kites- the birds not the toys. we were then dropped in the center of town to shop after which we walked the hour back to the hotel. stopped for dinner at " Brothers and Sisters" , an open air cafe across the street owned by " Sam"an expat from Pa. He was fun to talk to. Full dinner cost 210 rupees or $3 for the 2 of us. Incredible! tomorrow river rafting.

January 12.2011
An hour bus ride brought us to the raftut icon the Seti River. For 31/2hours we rafter through the hills passing under occasional chain pedestrian bridges and small hamlets. he water is glacial Greenland studded with cataracts. SETI Lobdge camp is basic tents. Freezing cold as we were soaked. no place to warm up but the staff started a camp fire to help. the hot water bottles. Not nearly enough and it was a long night.

January 13,2011. SETI LIodge
today Knox, a fellow group member, and I and our guide walked about 4 miles to a village passing and talking withpeoplegoing about their lives. there was a man making moonshine, a woman ,culling fodder for the buffaloes, a preacher starting a Christian community. the afternoon sawing me lazing on a rattan chair reading Snow Leopard and watching the river. Heavy rapids tomorrow.

January 14
The rapids were fun. - got a bit wet but not too bad- mostly2 s. Another2 hour bus ride took us to Naranya Safari Lodge in the south of Nepal. now we are on the rather flat lowlands. Once a malaria infested jungle filled with tigers,leopards and rhinos, it is now called Chitwan and is the former hunting reserve of royalty and a national park.

Mystical Himalayas, December-January, 2011

2011-01-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

December 27, 2010
I thought I had seen it all travel wise but the start of our journey to India, Bhutan and Nepal was unique. It started with the Christmas blizzard dumping 18" of snow on JFK Airport. Now to get there- trains not running so I rented a car and drove. Roads were great until the Hertz counter- no Airtrain- had to pay a guy $20 to take us to Terminal8 where we found utter chaos. People had been sleeping there for 2 days- could not leave the terminal because there were no shuttles. When we tried to check in we were told that yesterdays passengers had priority and now we were standby. After a 6 hour wait we were awarded the last 2 seats- then told there was only one so I passed. Made a bed of 3 plastic pallets and 2 very thin red blankets. I was sitting next to Eddie Loh, a fellow OAT passenger with an eye on Mr Khan, the Jet Airways agent. There were about 30 others waiting as well. Just as I was falling asleep around midnight, Mr Khan called out, "Mrs Hess you are a nurse. We have a medical emergency on board the plane. Get your bags and your husband and come with me." He whispered, "You're on!" We ran to the gate after waking the TSA guy where they were offloading some poor French woman. Then we sat on the runway for 3 more hours. Transited Brussels and the only flight to India was to Chennai in the far south of the country. all day in the airport and 3 hours back to Delhi. Met by Mr Singh and taken to Ibis Gurgaon about an hour or 10 miles away. Whatever I had seen or read about Indian traffic was true. No such things as lanes. After 6 hours sleep , we headed back to Delhi Airport with Eddie who had made it in the hour before. Since we had missed our direct Druk Air flight to Paro, Bhutan, we had to fly through Kathmandu, Nepal, although, again, a delayed flight. Then we were unable to land in Kathmandu due to fog. Flying very slowly though the snow covered Himalayas we almost missed our flight again but waiting for us at the airport a representative ran us through luggage and security like VIPs and onto the small Druk plane. This is the only airline to Bhutan. Only 16 pilots in the world are licensed to land here and we saw why. About 10 minutes out of Kathmandu, we saw Everest- really good views. landing in Paro was an adventure. It is in a very narrow valley among peaks over 6-8000 feet- you feel you can reach out and touch on either side as you come in. Unfortunately the first time the wind kicked up buffeting the plane and causing sudden drops. People screamed and one poor Chinese lady absolutely lost it. The pilot pulled up and we spent 30 more minutes in the clouds and mountain tops before the 2nd attempt - successful. Was this 3 day journey worth it? You bet!
December 29,2010
Four more group members were already here and out on tour so the3 of us had a quick walk through Paro town- 30,000 population. Nearly all in their Bhutan native dress - Khos for men and Karis for women. Basically the men wear a skirt and knee socks with a tunic and cinched waist. They are all different colors and patterns. the women's karis are longer.. The houses and stores are all similar- by law. Rather large, 3 story, square, white with timbers. Kind of an Asian Swiss house. Whole generations of families live together and these properties are handed down to the daughters in each family. The top floor is open and holds grain and hay. The roofs are tin and held down by a multitude of large rocks due to the wind.
There are very few western faces- only 20,000 tourists are allowed in a year to protect the culture and environment. the law says everyone must have a guide, not travel on your own and spend $250 a day per person. They have a 30 year old king who is immensely popular. He seems to get out all the time and greet people. Most everyone we talked with has met him. Bhutan is a democracy for the past 2 years with a Prime Minister however the head abbot of the Buddhists is equally as powerful. You see many monks with dark red robes- all ages. Buddhist philosophy is endemic to Bhutanese life. They kill nothing- no fishing, hunting,etc. Practice kindness. Little crime. As safe a place as you can be. Somewhat conformist and ethnocentric. Children learn English from infancy and all signs are in English as well as Dzonka.
Bhutan is 72% forested and incredibly mountainous. Farming is done on terraces where possible.
December31, 2010
After a night in Paro at the Tashi Namgay hotel- no central heat but an electric heater, we left for our next town, Punakha. Though less than 100 miles away, it takes 5 hours to get there. One highlight is the Dochula Pass at 10,000 feet. Here we witnessed a stunning panorama of the Bhutan Himalayas. At the top of the pass we saw 23 white stupas which memorialize Bhutan soldiers who were killed in a terrorist attack. A stop at the tea room provided a chance to just gaze at the scenery and prepare for the winding road down to Punakha.
The Punakha Dzong- a dzong is a fortress and monastery- is reputedly the most beautiful in the country. the king is coronated here/ This one has 500 monks living there who walk all over in their maroon robes and flip flops. Some wear sweaters for the cold. New Year's Eve was quiet. They do not celebrate as we do. Theirs is in February like the Chinese.
January 1 ,2011 Punakha, Bhutan
Our first rainy day- a little colder and obviously damper but not too bad. We visited a nunnery built by the 4th king's wife- though there are 4 of them. I must mention here that Bhutanese people also practice polygamy and polyandry. So if it is OK with your first spouse you may take others. Of course that is a big "if". The nunnery is rather new and similar to other monasteries though smaller. The nuns also shave their heads and wear robes similar to the monks.
Then onto to Wangdu Phodrang an old rather derelict town built on a cliff. Because of a recent earthquake and fears for the public safety, the government is building a beautiful new city in the valley. Nearly complete it looks modern in a Bhutanese way. the problem is the Wandue people are not in a hurry to leave. The market was fun. the people are incredibly nice- always friendly and ready to smile and wave. The monastery attached to the town has been left pretty much unrestored to remind people of the "old way". Very interesting though they will need to shore it up soon.
After lunch in Lhakhang we hiked to Chimi Lhakhang temple devoted to the Divine Madman. This is the village of the phallic symbols. They are painted on houses, walls and wooden ones are sold in all the little stalls and shops and are everywhere you look.Couples come to the temple to pray for fertility and then to give thanks with their baby. Indeed, we saw a baby being blessed with an 18 inch long wooden penis while we were there! On the way back to the bus we stopped in the village to visit an old farmhouse owned by a woman elderly in looks but only 66. It is a hard life here.

Ultimate Africa July 22- Aug 9, 2010

2010-12-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

July22-23, 2010
Bert and i are off on our 4th OAT trip, this time to another corner of the earth, southern Africa. First we get a 12 hour layover in London after an overnight flight from Boston on Brit Air. It's been 10 years since our last time in London. This time the Piccadilly line from Heathrow took us to Covent Garden from which we strolled to the Coutenauld Gallery in Somerset House alongside the Thames. Lots of impressionist and post impressionists from a single collection hung in a former palace-like great house. we had take-away lunch near the river and walked along the Thames through garden after garden- brilliant flowers and trees. Every one of every age enjoying a springlike day. We stopped at a bandstand to listen to school kids from a Michigan school sing and their band play the Stars and Stripes Forever to a group of elderly British pensioners some of whom got up and pranced to the music waving flags.
Requisite visits to Big Ben, the new Millennium Wheel, Parliament, Westminster, St James Park. I can still see Brian and Brittany as children feeding the ducks and geese and swans so long ago. They now have eastern white pelicans- enormous beaks so fascinating to watch. London is such a great city. Must come here more often. Tonight a night flight- 11 hours to Johannesburg South Africa.
July 24 Johannesburg, South Africa

One night in the Protea Tambo airport hotel. Met the 7 other tour members and then arranged a 4 hour tour of Soweto. Now several days since sleep and pretty wiped out. Oh well you only live once. Our guide, Kgomotso, a 6'6" rail thin Bantu so soft spoken we could hardly hear him, drove fellow tourist Louise and us to Soweto, a township just outside Jo'burg. Until 1976 this was the only place black S. Africans were allowed to live. Then ,on June 16th, a 13 y.o. named Hector Pieterson was shot by cops during a student march to protest their being forced to be taught in africaaners language rather than their own. All hell broke loose. No going back for the blacks and finally the end to apartheid after several years. Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu actually lived about 1000 feet apart. The Regina Mundi Church sheltered them and is now an interesting place to visit as are the museums. Today Soweto numbers40,000 and house range from derelict shanties of 1 room to gated concrete modern houses though small by our standards
On the way back to the hotel we started to nod off but managed to see downtown Jo'jurg which looks pretty western and modern. They had just hosted the world cup and we saw lots of evedence of recent sprucing up and bright loud vuvuzuelas for sale cheap. Dinner meeting the whole group of 9 and then blessed 10 hours of sleep.

July 25 Victoria Falls
After breakfast we flew to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 40,000 population- transferred to a small bus after meeting Vitalis Chipunza, our guide for the next 2 weeks. Sttopped at our future hotel- looks lovely- there were warthogs across the street- and we could see the mist from the falls a mile away. We drove for an hour to the Botswana border, walking 5 minutes from Zimbabwe to Botswana after stepping on an antiseptic mat to prevent the spread of hoof and mouth disease. Along the way to the lodge we spotted zebras, elephants, impalas, hyenas, baboons and a male lion protecting his freshly killed buffalo- gross but fascinating.
It was dark when we arrived at the Baobob Lodge. Met by the staff singing and dancing welcoming us. There is a main lodge, open air which looked nice in the dark. Dinner was delicious- chicken, rice, vegetable and mushroom soup. I sat with Mat who is a guide. he told of his life growing up on a Botswana farm. Our accommodations for the next 3 nights is a 1 room thatched hut with a bathroom and shower, tented sides but fine. There is some power from a generator and hot water from solar. We cannot leave our tents due the animals outside. Must have a guide walk us to the main lodge and it will be this way all through the trip. The night is chilly but the staff has left us each a hot water bottle which is very much appreciated. up tomorrow at 5:30AM for our first game drive. Yikes!

July 26 Chobe National Park, Botswana
At 5:30 the staff came to each tent banging a drum. It is dark and cold and hard to get up but so excited for out adventure. We were split into 2 groups, 5 of us, Bob, Carol and Robin and Bert and I went with Alex and Willie for 5 hours on a Range Rover modified truck.3 rows of seats raised high and open. Very bumpy in the Kalahari sand of Botswana but great viewing. We saw zebras, impalas,wart hogs, waterboks, Cape buffalo, a southern giraffe, sable antelop. mongoose, a fish eagle and many multi colored birds. A second drive was similar. That night as we lay in the tent we could hear a troop of baboons calling out loudly as they passed by. So cool!
July 27 Chobe
Today we had a 10 hour game drive into chobe. Starting out on the paved road before going off road in the sand we ran into a huge pack of baboons , many with babies. Then onto the back roads of Chobe where we saw nursing elephants with their beautiful babies, giraffes, zebras and a huge herd of Cape buffaloes. always there were herds of impalas, then water bok and sable antelope. We had lunch prepared by the staff along the shore of the Chobe River. the highlight of our day with Matt our guide and Vitalis was the parade of elephants to the river where they drank, had mud baths and then swam across the river to Namibia. we laughed as the babies sank and sputtered and were pushed along by their mamas and aunties. though we were tired that evening we had barbecue and were serenaded and dancing by the camp staff. We responded with a weak version of Yankee Doodle Dandy.
July 28 Kasane, Botswana- East Caprivi, Namibia
We left camp following the highway and spotting the now bare carcass of the dead Cape buffalo,as well as many baboons and zebras and into the town of Kasane, Botswana. A jumping off town for safaris, we looked at various stores including the local Spar market- they had TAB!- . There were many warthogs freely roaming the streets as if they were dogs. There was guy who called us over and opened the back of his truck to reveal many skins on animals which he was selling. It was chilling to say the least. As nervous as he was looking around for the police I would say he was a poacher.
After an hour or so we embarked on a pontoon boat to go to our next lodge Savannah Chobe lodge located on the Chobe river although on the Namibian side of the border in the Caprivi Strip of the country. Most unusual was our formal entrance into Namibia. Alfred, our guide, pulled the pontoon up into the reeds in a really desolate area on an island and told us to follow him. We walked 10 minutes into the bush where we came upon a good sized concrete building- customs!
They hadn't seen anyone for 4 days- even stamped our passports wrong. then hike back , back on the boat and an hour later we reached our beautiful lodge. It seemed a paradise compared to Baobab. Our round thatched huts had AC, tiled baths and a deck overlooking the savanna with elephants, giraffes in constant procession. We slept under mosquito nets. a staff of 13 for 13 guests. Such luxury, unimaginable. The central lodge had several levels, ebony and teak flooring, soaring thatched ceiling, wonderful sculptures. Evening sunsets boat cruises with wine and thousands of elephants.
July 29 , 2010 Namibia

Two game drives via pontoon boats. There are no roads out here. Everything is brought in by boat from Kasane. Saw many aquatic African birds as well as hippos and crocs and, for a brief second a leopard. Had impala for dinner, very tasty, much better than the kudu we had for lunch. At dark, which is 6PM, we must always be accompanied outside by staff due to nasty hippos and buffalo. Dinner is at 8. We stargazed for awhile, first clear night- saw the Southern cross, Scorpio and Venus. Weather is cool but pleasant, probably in the 60s. Usually in bed by 10:30. We live like royalty. They even do our wash! There is free minibar and drinks as they have substituted this lodge for another due to flooding. We got the better deal I think. By 9PM after much wine everyone was laughing and interrupting poor Vitalis as he tried to announce tomorrow's program.
July 30, 2010 Namibia
After breakfast, we boated to a small village. Actually we debarked into reeds and hiked through tall grass for 30 minutes across the open savanna to the local school. The Kisaka Primary School has 187 students in grades 1-7. the children have few visitors unlike other schools we've visited in 3rd world countries. We saw 6th and 7th grades- kids 11-14 yrs old . they told us their hopes for the future- MDs,RNs,teachers,etc. they then performed a dance. When i took their pictures and showed them the view finder I was mobbed. Tomorrow we have agreed to buy supplies for the school in Kasane and send them back with Alfred when he drops us off. Another sunset cruise tonight, again stunning, never tire of the animals.
July 31, 2010 Botswana
A one hour boat ride back to the civilization of Kasane where Alfred used our $100 to buy lots of school supplies. We all them flew via small 1 engine aircraft about 50 minutes south over Chobe and to the Okavanga delta. this is the largest inland delta in the world. the land is very flat and covered with Kalahari sand, Trees and bushes somehow root in it as well as the grasses. there are no paved roads. Indeed the runway was packed sand. The plane's engine never stopped and we jumped out with our back packs and duffels to meet Lemmie and Chief ,our new guides for the next 3 days. We piled into our diesel jungle jeeps and were off through the bumpiest, windiest sand track imaginable. Twisting, turning and plunging into 4 foot high water holes and rivers. Definitely reminiscent of Mr Toad's Wild ride at Disney world- only this is real.
It was a 2 hour drive to the camp. Not as much game as at chobe though we did come upon a lion and lioness and were witness to a 5 second "nooner". Actually happened right at noon. There were 3 other jeeps nearby and we laughed we heard a British voice call out "That was it?". apparently they mate every 30 minutes or so for up to 3 days. No wonder they sleep so much.
Our camp is primitive, at least to me. We sleep in 15' by 15' tents on a platform. Zip in- no doors. Inside toilet and shower though and electricity that is intermittent. Hot water is solar. We have a deck which overlooks a plain but aside from "noises" and some awesome birds- especially the lilac- crested rollers- no mammal wildlife. Dinner is in an open air thatched center with wine and beer. Not like Savanna Chobe but OK for 3 days. The staff are warm and friendly.
August 1, 2010 Okavanga Delta, Botswana
One long game drive today. Not much game and kind of boring, if you can call running into - ho hum - more giraffes, impalas, elephants, wildebeests, kudus, hippos, boring! We did have a flat tire while in the water which was mildly exciting as Chief had to change it in 2 feet of water. The rides are very jarring . The guides can answer any question and are impressive. Tented Wilderness Camp is located in a conservancy area. these areas were set up by the government to replace income lost to the locals as they can no longer hunt here or poach. An observer is sent out with each group to make sure we do not go off road. Apparently it is kind of annoying to the camp guides as they have to pay them. Chief admitted that hunting only stopped a year ago and the animals, having long memories, are still afraid to return to the area. The long range plan is good, though.
August 2, 2010
How many people can say they spent their 59th birthday in a safari camp in the Okavanga Delta? I can! It certainly was memorable. We started the day with a ride in a mokuto, a pole propelled canoe through reeds. We spotted some birds and fish. After lunch I decided not to go out with the rest of the group. I just wanted to relax in what little sun warmth there was- this is winter down here. I got out my First Ladies Detective Agency book set right down here in Botswana and commenced reading on the deck. Bert was in the tent. There was a hippo a few yards away in the swamp though too low to bother me except with her noisy grunts. All of a sudden the trees next to the deck began to shake and there appeared a very large elephant who popped out of the brush. He seemed as surprised to see me as I him. I didn't move but called out to Bert. There was no way to get help as the staff were far away in the main area- about a quarter mile. Bert came out with the camera and the elephant, after staring at us for many minutes, just started chomping on the trees. He stayed for over an hour never more than 15 feet away. I decided after a while that he was my birthday elephant sent as my present. Eventually he wandered away when it got dark. when the rest of the group came back they admitted they had seen nothing on their drive.
Dinner that night was in the BOMA. It is an African meeting place. The staff had chosen me to be the queen and Bert was the king and we were dressed appropriately. We ate as the tribal people did. Women serving the men and then eating the food with bare hands. We and they sang and danced and put on little acts for each other. A wonderful night under a starry open sky.
Aug 3 Botswana to Zimbabwe
Time to move on again. We repeated in reverse the long bumpy ride back to the landing strip. I think I will always remember the smell of the sage everywhere. It just reminded me of making turkey stuffing. the drives through the rivers for up to 300 yards sometimes were memorable. the water would rush into the truck and over the hood. the exhausts on these truck were elevated as snorkels so they did not stall. Still the level changed all the time and we never knew how deep the water was going to get. Exciting.
Right on African time, the plane pulled in and we jumped on and whoosh! were off back to Kasane , then a bus ride to Vic Falls,Zimbabwe. One amusing thing was spotting the hyena at the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe. He seemed a bit bewildered by all of us.
We dropped extra luggage off at our future hotel and then off to the Vic falls airport for a very small plane flight to Hwange National Park. Only allowed basics because of weight issues but we managed. Though I had been nervous re these flights in the bush, by now I was a veteran and loved the small planes. The lodge at Hwange was again just a little different from the others. It overlooked several watering holes. The roads were a bit better. The tents pretty much the same though we were nearly a km away from the main lodge. We had a boardwalk but there were time there was an elephant in the way. They had a small swimming pool as well though no one used it except the elephants who used it as a water hole. We had unparalleled views from this lodge out over the plains. could see for miles. I watched an ostrich meandering one day. We did 2 game drives a day and had our happy hours each sunset out in the bush drinking wine and eating oer doevres. one day we went to a village and visited the school and then the home of the chief who met with us and told us of their lives. Very interesting. What I liked about this part of Africa was the people. They live very simple lives. No one begged. They were warm, generous, friendly,always smiling. Zimbabwe has been through a very difficult time this past decade. Their money is nonexistent, they were starving, yet no complaints. They are just trying to do better.
Aug 6 Victoria Falls
After a plane ride back to Vic Falls we checked into the Illalla lodge, a small boutique hotel, simply beautiful. I pulled the curtains back on my 1st floor room to find a baboon staring back at me, nose pressed against the window. The bellman said the baboons wanted to party when we left the room. I left the door locked. We went out to see the Victoria Falls. Magnificent. this was the area where the famous meeting of the reporter Stanley found Dr Livingstone a missing British missionary. Livingstone was the first westerner to see the falls. the spray rises high above the falls. they fall into a deep chasm but you can walk along opposite them. Constant rainbows everywhere.
Aug 7 Livingstone Zambia
We were so close we had to say we got to Zambia. It was right across the river. So we organized a tour and the whole group went except for Bob. Moslt y we toured the livingstone Museum which was very comprehensive. Our guide, Precious, Taught us so much about the country and its tribes and people and the change from trbial ways to modern. Therest of the city was clean and interesting. Market stalls and ladies with baskets on their head in colorful clothes. Low rise buildings. Few tourists. On the way back a herd of elephants came out to greet us. Where else would you see anything like this.?
Our last night 's dinner was at a restarant called the Boma. A local tourist place, a nightclub, they dressed everyone as they came in in a colorful cloth and gave us drums. We ate a buffet of many of the local animals including warthog, kudu and impala. Robin and I even got a certificate for eatigng some kind of big fat worm. Obviously I had had a bit of wine first. Someone came around and they painted our faces with pictures of various animals. Truly we had so much fun.
Aug 8 Vic Falls
Sadly we said goodbye to Vitalis as he was headed - hitchhiking -to his home in northern Zimbabwe. We flew from Vic Falls to Jo' Burg and on to London and on to Boston.Took the train home. Took 40 hours total. It was a terrific adventure.

Tortola - Virgin Gorda April 20, 2010

2010-05-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

Here I had arranged to meet with Capt Egbert to take us to Virgin Gorda and the Baths. 10 of our new friends asked to join us for the day so we had a full boat. After a 40 minute speed boat ride past many of the smaller islands we landed at SpanishTown VG,BVI. and took an open ait jitney with Maxwell to the Baths. This is a BVI National Park. A beach out of a magazine. Down 150 steps passing iguanas and bougainvilleas to a white powder sanded beach with aqua clear warm water. The distinction here is the large number of immense boulders up to 2 stories high. There is a trail through them where you are aided by ropes and steps which leads to Devil's Bay equally as beguiling. I must say it was breathtaking. we found shade trees and sat together and thought how fortunate we all were. Most of the 50 or so other visitors were from the yachts moored off the beach. they just added to the scenery.

On the way back, as we exited the jitney and prepared to walk back to the speedboat I heard someone calling me from across the lot. Unbelievably it was Mal and Bonnie O'Connor- neighbors from home. Just off a dive boat they just happened to be there the same minute we were and if either of us was delayed just a minute.... Just one of those coincidences in life that make you shake your head.

Barbados April 19, 2010

2010-05-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

Our third time here and probably our favorite. We caught a cab to Carlisle Bay away from the ships' crowds. Strictly locals, white talc sand and clear warm water. Even better we were joined by a few sea turtles who swam near us for over an hour. After lunch on the mother ship we went back out to Bridgetown, the capital, where Bert toured the parliament museum and Lisa, the kind 29 yo beautiful ticket person, let me use her laptop to do emails. She was so cool to meet and chat with. She had a Pottery Barn obsession.

Dominica April18 2010

2010-05-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is our second visit in under 4 months to this lovely island. So different from other Caribbean islands in that agriculture not tourism s the primary means of income. It is 29 by 16 miles and very mountainous with sulphur springs on the southern end and fumaroles. 3500 Carib Indians live on a reservation on the north. We were scheduled to go tubing on the Layou river however it was cancelled due to heavy rains. Instead we rounded up Sabina and Yenyi Wu and Jim and Pat Bruneel for a day trip to the Emerald Pool and an island tour with our guide Henryford. (His real first name) .
The falls are reached by a 15 minute hike through the rain forest. Bert and I climbed down the rocks and into the very cool swirling water. Had to hold onto the roots as the current was so strong and pushing me to the edge of the second waterfall. Our surroundings though were spectacular. A huge grotto on each side of the falls filled with giant ferns and massive-leafed plants. The others left after a few pictures and we had the Emerald pool to ourselves. Heavenly.

Devil's Island, French Guiana April 15, 2010

2010-05-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

We've left Brazil and now in French Guiana- technically a department or state of France- so it's merci and si vous plait instead of obrigada and por favor. Infamous Devil's Island is really 3 tiny islands 6 miles off the coast- Iles St Joseph, Ile Royale and Ile du Diable. Ile Royale is the main island 34 acres large and contains the ruins of the well known penal colony. For 100 years until about 60 years ago almost 100,000 poor souls were sent here from France many, many wrongly accused or for offenses that today would get them a slap on the wrist. Just a few degrees above the equator, it was brutally hot and most died from diseases as yellow fever, smallpox, malaria and just cruelty by the guards who themselves did not want to be here either.

Flash forward 60 years and today the islands are tropical paradises covered by palm trees and various flowers. No paved roads, dirt trails leading up to the ruins. There is a small hotel of 8 rooms for 81 euros a night. You come over from the mainland on your yacht. Otherwise it is absolutely peaceful and quiet. We got the first tender. The sea is very choppy with large swells making tendering an adventure. For an hour we had the place to ourselves. We visited the remains of the various cells, children's cemetery, church, hospital, warden's homes.

There was a family of monkeys in the large tree outside the church. The monkeys are not used to seeing people- only a few ships a years stop here and there is virtually no other way to get here. I spent a long time watching them as they scampered to within a few feet. Mothers with babies clinging to their backs, the father protector, young rascals who picked fruit and flung it directly at me. I later saw a large green Amazon parrot who was as intrigued with me as I with him. It poured intermittently making the trails muddy. indeed I had sandals on and upon returning to the ship had trouble washing it off. I thought about those many prisoners here for decades with no way to wash the muck off. So sad. I love a port like this. Combines history with nature and still unspoiled. Good day- The $3 Heineken beer from the hotel terrace just made it better.

Alter do Chao

2010-05-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Our last port in Brazil was the most quaint. Located 20 from Santarem which we visited on the way upriver, the village of maybe 1000 is located on the clear water Rio Tabajos. It fronts beautiful white sand beaches. The little shops are thatched and mostly located around the Praca- plaza. I found an internet in an old hippie hangout, Mae Natureza, guys with dreds,tattoos and Free Tibet signs- very cool. The river was pretty high nearly obliterating what seems to be a lovely sandbar with more thatched restaurants and bars, now partially underwater. the water was blue and, if you squinted you might be in the Caribbean. everyone was charmed by this port. As we had not spent many 'reals' we decided to buy something. Now we are the proud owners of a 40 lb turtle carved in one piece by a tribe further upriver. It functions as a stool and will be a great reminder of our time on the Amazon. Overall my impressions of Brazil was not as favorable due to the problems caused by the authorities and rampant problems with petty theft and crime. The Amazon lived up to its reputation and, though I would probably not return, I loved everyday I had here. As if to underscore my thoughts- I was walking back to the tender dock, looking at the mangroves and white sands and admiring the beauty of the black vultures circling overhead.

Suddenly one broke loose the group and started to swoop directly towards me. I looked at it and it at me. Almost face to face it opened its mouth and regurgitated about 6 ounces of foul smelling stuff which I watched , in slow motion, falling towards my head. Thankfully i stepped sideways and it missed by inches! One woman watching the scene ran over and said in her best British accent- "My dear, you were nearly baptized by a buzzard"!

Parintins, Brazil April 11, 2010

2010-05-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

This small city has not much going for it other than it has an annual festival for a week in June called the Boi Bumba. Something about the mythical theft of a bull. 2teams, red and blue compete for the win, staging a lavish parade- costumes, feathers, music. Looks akin to opening ceremonies of the Olympics combined with Mardi Gras. There are few hotels so the riverboats line up and provide accommodations via their hammocks for the 70,000 who come. Folks really get into it.

We walked around for awhile. Sunday- everything closed. Apparently shopkeepers weren't excited by a 1200 passenger cruise ship even if it is a rarity. No matter- we walked in a driving but soft rain to the cathedral for Mass. No evidence there had ever been a service there- weird. We then decided to hire the primary means of transportation in Parintins- a bike cab. Basically 2 people sit in a small cab while a guy pedals you from behind. Hey, it was covered and he seemed nice though not a word of English. Mostly he just kept poking me in the back and pointing to various things. My job was to look interested and smile and nod. The two main sites were the Bumbodrombo -really just a large rickety stadium with red seats on one side and blue on the other. the second site was where a few of last years floats were stored and this was interesting. They were up to 2 stories high- dragons with movable claws, masks, costumes, something reminiscent of the 'Alien' creature. anyway they get 70,000 to go to the festival which is great for the economy. We finished the day with a couple of beers watching riverboats dock and disgorge their many passengers

Manaus day 2- April 10, 2010

2010-05-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

After our long day yesterday we were determined to have a quiet unstructured day. Saturday in Manaus was so incredibly busy. Picture NYC on 5th Ave in December on a Saturday. that is how it was. We made our way to the Mercado- market to watch the fish unloaded. Merchants everywhere set up small kiosks, each next to each other selling anything from food to boat supplies to clothes to booze. A short downpour stranded us beneath a portico but we eventually made our way uptown 1/2 mile or 6 blocks to the Teatro Amazonas. the opera house. I remember learning about this when I was in grade school. How tons of granite and marble and great tapestries were brought up the Amazon and assembled for the greatly wealthy rubber plantation owners of 150 years ago. Descriptions do not do it justice. It is just breathtaking. the frescoes on the ceiling, the artistry accorded to the 701 patrons. We took an English language tour with Bruno, a terrific young 20- something man, half Japanese and half Indian. To make things even better, the symphony was rehearsing for the upcoming opera festival next week. Magical! Perfect acoustics. There is also a ballroom with Murano glass chandeliers and parquet flooring for which we wore felt slippers. How did they do this? Unbelievable. you have to imagine how remote this was in the 1800s. Hell, it's remote now!

We stopped outside in the plaza for lunch and visited Sao Joachim Cathedral known for its altar of praying hands- unique. I could have done with another day in Manaus but we left our floating dock at 6PM to begin our journey back down the Amazon, though with 2 more stops to come.

Manaus, Brazil April 9, 2010

2010-05-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

Manaus is our ultimate destination. We've come 1000 miles up river to the giant city. You can't believe that this place has nearly 2 million people. Once a center of the rubber trade, now a big port exporting forest products and wood. There are container ships galore as well as the ubiquitous riverboats. They have become such a part of the scene to me now. Tomorrow we will visit the city with the famous opera house but today is our highlight.

I again hired a guide to take us upriver to swim with the pink dolphins called botos. Manaus is situated at the confluence of the Solimoes river (white from Peru) and the Rio Negro (black water- tannin- from Colombia). There is a long meeting of the waters for 11 miles.

We went up the Rio Negro for 80 km with Matthias Raymond. I found him through a google search a month ago.I got 3 other couples to join and had so many requests that I filled a second day for him as we are in port overnight. Even then I has people begging me to add them as the ship does not offer a tour like this. I was kind of nervous as I felt responsible. No worries though. Rodolpho, who I corresponded with initially, met us at the dock and introduced us to Matthias . He grew up in the jungle for 12 years and is now a jungle survival teacher and guise saving to net a degree as a naturalist and then write a book. His English was excellent. We took off in a speedboat at full throttle past the city, under the bridge that is eventually going to cross the Negro-someday- things go slowly in Brazil- been years already.

The river is very wide- over a mile. Unfortunately we hit a severe thunder and lightning storm with very heavy rain. The boat had a flat canopy with side flaps which we lowered. After 2 hours we rode out of the storm, though ,as there was residual thunder, we headed first to lunch with an indigenous family. The family consisted of a husband and wife, 2 children - 3yo girl and 9yo boy- and another couple. They supplement their small income hosting the occasional group as us. We were served chicken, fish, rice and macaroni as well as manioc, mango juice and cucumber. they were shy but nice. Matthias explained about their plants and uses. Acer palms for the berries, cassava roots for the manioc,etc. Cara cara birds flying about. They had a refrigerator,a stove and even a TV but no money to pay for the electricity so not used. There is a power supply out here but kind of useless. We bought some beads from them and one of the couples bought a mask and blow gun- yes they use them to kill monkeys. We then made our way to the dolphin station.

The pink dolphins live throughout the amazon. they are up to 5-6 feet and about 350 lbs. Some are all pink though many have some gray. Their snouts are very narrow and they have sharp teeth, also no dorsal fin. The woman who runs this station- the only one in the country- has a floating platform extending into the river from a good sized hut with a deck. Six of us got down unto the platform which made us waist deep in the water. Her son , Erico, then grabbed a pail of fish and slipped into the water calling the nearby wild botos. the know the drill and began to swim over. Because the Negro is black, you almost cannot see them until they are upon you so they startled us. Erico held the fish underwater to tempt them and then raised his arm over his head to get better pictures as they jumped up for the fish. After 15 minutes we were all comfortable touching them. We then jumped all the way into the river- no idea how deep- and for the next hour we played with the dolphins. The bumped into us and let us feel them. They leaped up for the fish. They swam between us and under us and even between our legs. I had never tread fresh water for an hour before but it passed like seconds. Unforgettable experience. we were absolutely delighted- laughing and joking. Matthias took pictures as did the 2 persons who did not go into the water.

We reluctantly left the Negro which is incredibly clean even though the water is so black, and continued back towards Manaus. Just before reaching the city we stopped at an Indian reservation where a small group of Dessana Indians performed many of their dances for us. we then walked through the village. they have been relocated here from the outer reaches of the jungle so the government can provide better services for them. Even so they live quite primitively in a group of 120 or so. There is some electricity and 1 phone attached nearby to a loudspeaker. whoever answers the phone goes on the loudspeaker to call for the recipient. Everywhere we walked we were watched by a flock of black vultures ominously glaring down at us from their perches in the trees.

We had a great day especially after the weather cleared. It seemed so odd to leave the jungle and within 2 hours be back in such a large city as Manaus.

Boca Valeria April 8, 2010

2010-05-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

Boca Valeria is a very small village- perhaps a dozen huts and 100 people. They have a 1 room school - a hut with 2 blackboards, 15 old wooden deskchairs and a globe. The church is a little more substantial. Everything is built on stilts for the rising waters. as they are directly on the river about 10 cruiseships a years visit to give passengers a taste of a small village. The villagers who are indigenous people respond with their own entrepreneurship by selling handicrafts, offering boat rides in small canoes with engines and dressing themselves and their children in feather costumes for a picture. "One dollar please" They also carry a jungle pet for pictures. again a dollar. we saw toucans, a capybara- giant rodent, marmosets, a spider monkey, parrots and sloth. Took a boat ride up the Valeria river to another village. Fun. Saw the giant water lilies- Victoria Regiana, 3 feet across! Donated supplies for the school as did other passengers to help out. HAL brought 50 kids on board for a tour and lunch. There is too much begging but a good day nonetheless.

Santarem continued

2010-05-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

We met Alec's family and saw his home. The river is high now and rising until June- sometimes 50 feet. Therefore the caboclos - traditional forest dwellers of Amerindian and Portuguese descent - must abandon their houses and move to higher ground or just live in the hammocks. No one has a bed. The small animals live with them. The livestock such as horses and Brahman cattle and the larger pigs are moved on a barge. The huts are simple, outdoor fire, no electricity, bathe in river. Diet is local berries, tapioca and, of course, fish. We saw several fishermen in their dugout canoes catch piranha and many other species.
In the canoe we paddled into the flooded forest. It was, in a word, awesome.. Basically we were floating just below the canopy up close and personal to the monkeys, sloths and birds. Perfectly silent except for the noisy calls of alarm from the various species. Alec used a machete to cut a slice in a rubber tree and we each felt the white "bleed" latex sap running from it. Rubber was "king" here for 50 years until an enterprising Englishman stole 70,000 seeds- they are the size of walnuts- and brought them to Malaysia where they grew so much easier than here.
We spent hours wandering in the canoe throughout the forest. Fascinating- another "lifetime experience". Towards the end, Paolo spotted a sloth near us and Alec climbed up the tree to get her. He carried her down for us to meet. She was pregnant and so sweet-looking. Many of the jungle children keep sloths as pets. The eat leaves , sleep 20 hours a day and move so slowly it is comical to watch. they are, however, excellent swimmers which seems at odds with their phlegmatic natures.
We transferred back to the Genesis 2, pictured above and eenjoyed a caparinha made by the crew. It is a mixture of lime juice and cachaca. Cachaca is the local moonshine made from sugar cane. It is so good I bought a bottle and a bag of limes as soon as we got back to shore.
We ended our day with a short walk through downtown Santarem and then a 3 mile walk back to the Veendam. Along the way we passed many dozens of riverboats tied to the shore. They are all open-sided. Passengers use the river as the highway since there are virtually no roads. Trips go for days. Everybody brings their own hammock and they tie them up next to each other. Have to get there early to get a good spot- not next to the toilet. Very, very colorful. The hammocks not the toilets.
We also passed the fish market. Never saw fish like these! Such a great day. I was sorry to say goodbye to Paolo. He is a great guide. Gave the me the kiss- kiss -like Javier in Mendoza Argentina- I like these South American men- A great, great day!

Santarem

2010-05-04T06:09:00.000-07:00

This is the boat we used to explore the area around Santarem. There are thousands of these boats of varying sizes up and down the river. People just attach their hammocks on the open decks. We sat on the top deck observing the wildlife as we sipped caparinhas. Ah! The life

Santarem April 7, 2010

2010-04-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

Santarem is a small city halfway between Belem amd Manaus about 5000 miles up the river away from the ocean. So far the best day of the trip. I had hired a private guide for this port. Paulo Coelho is a 44 year old Ximango Indian who lived in the jungle until he was 12. At that time he left the village to join his brothers in Santarem. Saw a school for the first time. Now self taught he speaks 4 languages, can tell you any bird, tree or plant. we were a group of 6- I had invited Deborah and Mike McKenna and Peter and Peg Martin- and were enthralled by his enthusiam for and animated delivery of his work.

After a short taxi through Santarem we boarded a small riverboat amd climbed to the top. the sun was tempered by fluffy white clouds and not too hot We motored with a crew of 4-5 past the meeting of the waters of the Tapajo River, rather clear and blue and the Amazon whch is brown. they differ in temp, density and velocity and run side by side for 4 miles before merging.

We saw almost 40 kinds of birds- every color and size from toucans and snowy egrets to anis, caracaras, hawks, parrots. We saw iguanas swimming ans sloths. After an hour during which time we were served fruits, nuts and water, we transferred to a small canoe paddled by Alec, a young teen Indian and Paulo.

going to end this now as a long line to use internet and I feel guilty, will continue soon, thanks for comments

Macapa April 7, 2010

2010-04-06T07:10:00.001-07:00

This is a city of 250,000 on the equator though today there is a nice breeze. We have had a hard time the last week dealing with norovirus and rather corrupt Brazillian officials. Some charge cigarettes and others booze and others just money. Nontheless they have kind of cutailed our ports. We saw a little of the cities but now we are on the Amazon. I woke up to the sound of the small river boats slowly chugging their way up and down the brown lazy river. So wide that you cannot always see the edges. It is so humid but I am acclimating pretty well. There were 2 pink dolphins along side yesterday and a few birds. The markets are so interesting. the children are beautiful of course. The folks in this city are pretty isolated but much nicer than on the coast. Few animals though we went to a zoo the other day in Belem.
Macapa is unusually clean compared to what we have seen and it seems safer. We have had over a dozen passengers mugged including a lady yesterday who was knifed for her camera. She took a few stitches and seems alright now. Can be quite dangerous unless you keep your wits about you. That said it is all quite interesting. Have to go. Loved all your comments. Sotrry about the floods. I did see a short thing on CNN about the Warwick mall. Feel so out of touch here. I miss everyone. Luckily I brough a video of Riley that we have watched. Tomorrow a jungle trip in Santarem

Maceio Brazil March 30, 2010

2010-03-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

We actually were also here 2 years ago. essentially a beach town with gorgeous turquoise water, white sand and really brightly colored sailboats on the shore .this time we have come into town on a shuttle bus to beat the heat- it is in the 90s. We have an outbreak of norovirus onboard starting yesterday so passengers and staff are starting to become quarintined. They are presing different staff into serving the food as even the waiters are affected. Essentially you are confined to your cabin for 4-5 days. they take away your key so you cannot get out. If it gets too bad they will not allow the ship into the ports. In addition we found out last night that many people were robbed even with a knife to their throats in Salvador. We saw nothing of this but we are now doubly aware of our surroundings, not that it will curtail us. Thank you for your comments. I love to read them. The keyboards in these internet cafes leave a bit to be desired so thats why it may be hard to read.

Salvador Bahia Brazil

2010-03-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Palm sunday in Salvador. A giant mass on the old city plaza with thousands of the faithful. Carrying umbrellas from the alternating heat and showers. We toured the St Francis Church, interior totally coverd in real gold. The most gaudy, ornate church I,ve ever seen. It was built by the African slaves who were not alllowed to worship there. To retaliate they made the cherubs faces somewhat grotesque, with giant phalluses for the boys and the girls pregnant looking. Last century they started to cover them up but still fun to look for them. A colorful old crumbling city. Second time here. We are natives! Sea day tomorrow . Loved the drum boys. A man also made a flower for me from palms. An appropriate souvenir for today.

Ilheus, Brazil

2010-03-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Finally a day late we reached Rio. too late to see anything but, wonder of wonders, our bags also made it! I could have kissed them. It was so obvious the airline peoplewere not going out of their way to find them. All in all though we found American Air to be great.
We got on board the Veendam to find our room, 219, located on the aft with a large balcony with 2 chairs and 2 large loungers. As close to heaven as you can get!
Our departure from Rio was a little late so it was dark. One of the 10 most beautiful ports in the world. Still great even in the dark. Onnnnn the 26th we had a sea day. I attended lectures on digital photography.
Today we are in Ilheus. a city next to the most beautiful beaches with 222,000 people. Quite lovely. the home of the famous author/Jorge Amado author of Dona Flores and her 2 husbands among others. At his house we were happy to run into a great older man who was a storyteller. He acted out the story of the city.From its begininngs as a cacao plantation site with its colonels and their slaves. A women from the ship happened to be there and she animatedly translated. It was the highlight of the day. Very funny.
The temp is at least 90 with similar humidity with relief from some breezes. The people seem quite affable. the internet is cheap at about a dollar an hour. We are just wandering around enjoying ourselves and taking it all in. This is just what I would want in a Brazillian city. Tomorrow Salvador. It will be Palm Sunday so maybe interesting. Outside here on the plaza the young men demonstrate capoeira which is a form of fighting and dancing. Almost looks like martial arts.

Brazil

2010-03-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Well we are off for 5 weeks to Brazil and a long cruise on the HAL Veendam which will wind its way from Rio , up the coast of Brazil, up and down the Amazon, onto the Caribbean and then up the US coast to NYC after 31 days. Off to an inauspicious start. The Boston bound train was late, then the first plane to Miami was delayed, we were transferred to a NYC plane which also was aborted,and finally back to the original Miami flight. Today instead of Rio, we are in Miami having arrived during the wee hours without luggage. Our main concern now is to find it before we board the ship tomorrow in Rio. In all these travels this is the first lost luggage. American Air has done their best, but it may be a long time before it works its way to us. Fingers are crossed and they have put us in a lovely hotel near the airport. We try again tonight. Glad we saw so much of Rio 2 years ago as we will only see the rather seedy port area tomorrow. Hope I remember where the wine store is. I may need it. Oh well, the very best trips only get better. Meanwhile Miami is warmer than Rhode Island.

Greenland

2010-02-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

Sept 16, 2009 Nuuk, Greenland
Our first look at Greenland is impressive. the weather has cleared and although 35, it is dry. Nuuk is the capital and with half of the population- around 30,000. The houses are, again, multicolored but not particularly cute. The people are primarily Inuit with a few Danes. They speak Greenlandic- taught in schools, secondarily Danish and some have English. Nuuk is surrounded by high mountains now mostly clear of snow though you can see glaciers. Only 100km of roads though none lead out of town. There is an airport which lands rather small planes. There is even a traffic light as there must be 1000 cars. In the winter, when there is almost no daylight, they use sleds and snowmobiles. We walked all around town marvelling at the majestic scenery- icebergs in the harbors, hills rising everywhere. The children were adorable. Only 5 cruise ships a years come here so bringing 3000 plus 1000 crew is a huge event here. There are 3 buses and a few cabs but it is a very small place and no need. We had our lunch on a hill overlooking the 2 ports. The grass is mostly lichens, different colored mosses- orange, dark red, yellow. As I said it is 35 degrees and the Inuits are opening their windows for air. Warm for them. One negative is the sixties Soviet style concrete block apartment building- 12 rows of them which is a blight. Apparently they are to be torn down soon and new apts. are being built. These apts. are an attempt to attract those Inuit who live outside the village to provide better education and medical services.
We stayed ashore for 7 hours. Supermarkets were interesting as usual. food expensive but perhaps 30% higher than ours except for seal and whale meat. 2lbs hamburger were $10, tomatoes about 75 cents each and grapes $3 a pound. Some passengers complained that there weren't enough services or things for them to do. So frustrating listening to them.
To top off our lovely day in Nuuk, tonight we saw the aurora borealis, the northern lights. The sky was clear, no moon. For an hour from 10:45 to 11:45 green ribbons of light danced overhead. Fading and brightening we also caught glimpses of red for a few moments. What an experience!

Sept 18, 2009
We got the ship moored in the harbor of Nanotalik Greenland. We were on line for the tenders and the Captain cancelled this port call. Capt. nick Nash is very cautious. This is the 3rd port he's bailed out on and everyone is ready to scream. It is absolutely stunning here. Icebergs everywhere, the mountains shrouded in mist and light snow. Incredibly magnificent, like being in an outdoor cathedral. It is almost partly sunny. i think Nash worries that the very elderly seniors will be hurt tendering in. Someone fell last port sustaining facial injuries and we left someone in the Nuuk Hospital. The village children are lined up on the shore. Only 1500 inhabitants. This was to be their extra income for the year. The had practiced their songs and dances. I am sick for them watching us sail away. So disappointed but we'll spend the day cruising the Qonok fjord.
The fjord was awesome. The mountains on either side rose up thousands of feet with a fine sugar powder coating of snow. We sailed for an hour or two until the charts ran out. Towards the end of the fjord was a still working gold mine and lots of icebergs. Only 15% of Greenland is not in ice in the summer. We spotted a seal on a berg who finally rolled off into the water as well as a few whale spouts and a brief glimpse of one surfacing.
Sept 21
Another aborted port in St john's Newfoundland due to poor weather so instead we made for Halifax Nova Scotia. Was a bright sunny day with temp 72- about double what we've had. This is a busy delightful place much like Newport without the crowds. The Public Gardens were in full bloom with fountains, bridges, pavilions and duck ponds. The citadel overlooks the city and we watched the noon cannon go off with its guard change. The highlights were the boardwalks along the port with lots of various types of ships, shops and artists and musicians including a bagpiper. Nova Scotia means new Scotland and they embrace their heritage.
In the afternoon we toured Keith's brewery. Well done with energetic young guides in 1850 period costume portraying characters of the day. The India Pale was great and we brought an 8 pack of the red ale.
One last day of sailing and then New York. We disembark at the Brooklyn pier. To compensate us for our lost days in Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and Canada, Princess gave us $250 in ship credit. So thank you Princess for my new watch. It was a nice cruise overall. Not the best. crown princess is too large for me. 3100 passengers with no was to go outside due to weather. Because of lost port days we had a lot of unplanned sea days which are fine if you can sit outside. Saw a lot of movies, a few shows, met some interesting people. Many of these people have been everywhere so it was interesting to listen to their stories. I enjoyed the balcony even if we didn't use it much. The ability to get fresh air was great. Now home to family, work, flu shots and most importantly, Dad's funeral.

2010-02-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

The Faroe Islands

2010-02-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

Sept 10, 2009 Torshavn, Faroes
One of the reasons I booked this trip was that the ship docked at this remote group of 18 islands just below the Arctic circle. Now owned by Denmark, the Faroese people have their own language, money and customs. They have a parliament and a fierce sense of their own identity going back to their beginnings as a Viking settlement. Today 47,000 citizens, half of whom reside in the capital Torshavn. We rented a car to explore the island of Stremoy- the 18 are connected via bridges, tunnels or ferries. As luck would have it our friends Paul and Marilyn joined us. Due to the severe weather many ships tours were cancelled. Stremoy is maybe 30 miles by 10 miles with large mountains in the middle- mostly shore roads. There were clusters of small villages of multi-colored and black houses about 25% of which had grass and turf roofs. even some of the churches had turf roofs.
We followed the road, basically 1 1/2 lanes wideto the end and northenmost part of the island. The last 3 miles were on a single lane about 500 ft ablove the sea with a 1000 ft of rock ledge above us. The road twisted and turned and i prayed there were no oncoming cars. The sheep were everywhereand, though the islands are totally volcanic, there was short grass everywhere- 70,0000 sheep as well as flocks of geese and ducks waddling around the fields. The village, , has 67 inhabitants located on 3 sides by mountains but facing the sea with a black sand beach. Looking across to the island of Estremoy we could clearly see 2 sea stacks each 75 meters tall. They are Reisen and Kjellger who in mythology were an Icelandic giant and his wife who thought the Faroes were so beautiful they tried to pull them home to Iceland but sun up turned them to stone. We met the only resident who was home. Named Brendus who, with perfect English, told us of growing up here. it was cold, windy and dramatically, beautifully wild. Hundreds of waterfalls everywhere falling to the sea from the interior mountains.
Tomorrow another sea day. The wind and sea have not abated. the North Sea is very violent and rough. the temp never above 54 but feels so much colder. There is frequent fog and more rain. While the Faroes are beautiful, it must be awful in the winter with so little sun. They get only 989 hours of sun a year!

Sept 12, 2009 Iceland
An aborted attempt to dock at Akureyri, Iceland. The weather was sunny for the first time but wind howling and the dock too rickety to hold the ship . So much disappointment as I looked forward to seeing the geothermal wonders of this area of northern Iceland. Could see the gorgeous ponies from the ship. Our little Riley's 1st birthday today. We miss her and Tessa.

Sept 13, 2009 Reykjavik, Iceland
Since we were here just 2 years ago we forewent a car and just strolled the city. Went to Mass at the Catholic cathedral. The choir sang in Latin though the priest's prayers were in Icelandic. At the kiss of peace the tall older woman in front of me turned towards me and shook my hand with a ferocity I had never felt before. It felt like she broke my fingers and wrenched my arm at the same time. As she turned back I started to view her as one of those huge Wagnerian opera divas with the breastplate and horned hat. She was strong! Got on the internet for 1/2 hour to see what was up in the world and to wish the granddaughters a happy birthday. Doesn't seem they could be a year old already.
Now 2 days at sea to get to Greenland. Really rough and many have sea sickness patches on. I love it!

Crown Princess Transatlantic 2009 cont'd

2010-02-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

Sept 7, 2009 Stavanger ,Norway
A new country for me. Stavanger is a small city with a compact old town. Weather is windy and rainy. We skipped the fjords tour and walked through the old section of colorful wooden merchant houses with the baskets of flowers and cobblestoned streets to the oil museum. It is a warm and dry refuge for a few hours learning about the hazards and costs and mechanisms of building those mammoth oil rigs which are ubiquitous in the North sea around here. While a bit boring- no pun intended, well maybe a little- to many women- we lined up on the benches waiting as the men read every word on every exhibit, it did give me a greater appreciation for what it takes to obtain a barrel of oil and why it costs so much. After a drippy visit to the Cathedral which had a beautiful wooden carved pulpit and someone playing the organ, we adjourned to the ship.

Sept 7, 2009 Bergen , Norway
The second largest city in Norway, Bergen retains much of its charm. Its Bryggen is a section designated a world heritage site. the old merchant houses painted red, blue, yellow, white, green and heavily timbered, now house small shops. Prices are criminally high. An ice cream cone is $5US, sweaters $150, Tshirts $20 and probably made in China. We sampled whale meat in the fish market- actually quite tasty. People were buying seal and reindeer skins and lots of troll dolls. Weather again miserably cold and spitting rain. tried to find a reasonably cost internet however $1 for 3 minutes was too high. Takes that long to log on. We crossed the pedestrian center to the Bergen Kunstmuseum which is comprised of 3 buildings and houses a fabulous collection of Norwegian artists. the foremost artist is Edvard Munsch (The Scream) but the others were wonderful colorful impressionists to modern. Obviously influenced by the French but a Norsk take on the genre. The best buy in Norway at $10 a ticket. After running to the shuttle in a soaking rain, we were safely ensconced, drying in our warm cabin when the fire alarm went off followed by a terse "This is not a drill""All crew to muster" Tense moments later it was explained that a minor fire in the engine room was under control. 30 minutes later the Captain came on to tell us that we would not be sailing tonight as the port was closed due to a severe storm in the North Sea.
We stayed put and left the next AM. Unfortunately now missing our stop in the Shetlands. As I write this on (9/9/09) we are sailing on 18 foot waves with 40 mph winds. Luckily the sun is out and I am am happy with a good book outside on deck in a rather windproof nook. We are passing the largest natural gas platform in the world. 1500 ft high above the water. It takes 9 minutes in the elevator to reach the sea floor thousands of feet below.

Transatlantic -England to New York, Sept, 2009

2010-02-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

August29-30,2009 England and Wales

Somehow I knew back in January when I booked this trip that I was taking a chance. Two ill parents, both loved to travel. Mom died 6 weeks ago, Dad in his last days. I felt I had done all I could for him and that he would want me to go. I said goodbye to him this AM. Somehow I know he heard me and understood.

We took the train to Boston and Aer Lingus via Dublin to Manchester, England. On board was the Irish Prime Minister and his cabinet- Ted Kennedy's was this AM. That was both reassuring and disconcerting- extra security but increased alert to terrorists. We did get immediately clearance for takeoff. fast flight, just over 4 1/2 hours to Dublin.

Picked up the VW Golf rental. Immediately I had to drive, manual , left side road, right handed drive, down 13 floors of the parking garage and into the maelstrom of English roundabouts and M roads- on 5 days of maybe 16 hours sleep cumulative. Our first stop was Chester, England. A lovely, 2000 years old Roman- founded city filled with black and white timbered buildings. Totally enclosed within thick, walkable city walls, it was easy to park on a Sunday morning. The bells of the Cathedral pealed continuously as we wandered around. Baskets of bright red and blue flowers hung on light fixtures, cobbled street. Brightly colored narrow boats parked along the River Dee and its canal.

After lunch at a Subway we continued into northern Wales stopping first at Conwy Castle and its old suspension bridge with bridge keeper and toll house. We also toured Aberconwy House- an ancient merchant's house- 400 years old.. first use of the Royal Oak card Bert purchased for $80. We can use it at any National Trust property and we plan to get our money's worth. From there we headed west to Bangor and Penrhyn Castle. About 200 years old, this place is magnificent. Puts a Newport mansion , even the Breakers, to shame. Located on 100's of acres overlooking the sea, each room was filled with fabulous furniture and artifacts.

Our hotel in Bangor was at the Management Center run by the university business school. Really nice rooms though we had so much trouble finding it. Recently renovated hundred year old building with multi floors and stairs. I got lost every time I left the room. The day turned to a night with driving sheets of rain.

August 31, 2009

Our driving day through Wales. On and off rain but lovely scenery through the vales and mountains. Every sign in wales is first in Welsh and then English. ARAF means slow. Nearly every word is unintelligible and impossible to guess. The Welsh people work hard to preserve their culture and it shows. After passing many small villages filled with stone houses with slate roofs and baskets of flowers we visited Powis Castle. Smaller than yesterday's castle but with killer gardens terraced with gigantic hanging yews leading down to rose gardens lined with a half dozen lead statues. In the distance were views of England. After a several hour traffic jam due to a steam rally, we drove to the Frogmills Hotel in the Cotswolds.

Sept 1 The Cotswolds- land of sheep and honey colored stone

Our hotel is a just opened renovated granary beautifully set in a huge field with sheep and horses. We first visited Chedsworth Roman Villa ruins discovered just 100 years ago. It is a 1600 years old farm with outstanding intact mosaic floors. To get there we travelled the many gorgeous little villages built of Cotswold stone- a yellow ochre color reminiscent of Tuscan stone though brighter. Cute names like Withington, Upper and Lower Slaughter, Bibury and Stow in Wold.

At Burford I finally found a library which had internet connection. Sadly it was here that I learned that my father had died the day before- about 36 hours after I left him. Though I knew it was coming it was still so hard to believe. As I replied to various emails, I was overcome - apologies to the librarian. We walked the village streets for awhile then took a short drive. Rounding a bend in a small lane we came upon a field over which was a beautiful rainbow. Many who know me know the story of Molly and the rainbows. Last year Dad and I had a talk about the possibility of Heaven. I asked him to let me know he was OK via a rainbow. And just 15 minutes after learning of his death there it was. I knew immediately. Not only that- Bert and I hiked through a sheep field 30 minutes later and came across a double rainbow. OK Dad, I get the point! Thank you for everything. I will never forget you.

Sept 2,2009

We decided to stay here at the Frog Mill- so lovely. Today we went to see the collection of Charles Wade- 22-000 artifacts in an old mansion- anything you could imagine this guy saved. So cool. Then Hidcote Gardens. Actually kind of outdoor rooms. Every different color and type of flower. The walls were the hedges separating the "rooms". You walked through a wide cut to go from one to the other. each "room"as totally different, some all white flowers, another purple and yellow, others were different fragrances. Stunning and peaceful. Just what I needed.

Sept 3, 2009 Stonehenge

Today was neolithic stone day. First Avebury- a village surrounded by 100 odd tall monoliths arranged in a large circle hundreds of meters across- sheep laying next to them. Remnants of Hurricane Danny produced 50 mph winds blowing away the rain clouds. Great walks , few people. In contrast, Stonehenge 20 miles south is rather unimpressive. Loads of tourists by the busload. We also saw a couple of Wiltshire horses carved into the hillsides outside towns- in chalk. Kind of fun.

Sept 4, 2009

We leave for Southampton to meet our ship, Crown Princess tomorrow. On the way we stopped at Winchester Cathedral- can't get the song out of my head. Here we met up with old friends Martin and Anne Wright from Surrey. We spent time with them on our 2002 Russian trip and have been corresponding ever since but have not seen each other in 7 years. Great to see them again and, after a tour of the Cathedral and the Great Hall of the now defunct castle, we had a "proper tea".

Sept 5, 2009 Southampton

This is a rather non-descript city famous for launching the Titanic. Another city who wishes their castle hadn't crumbled. There are signs glorifying where such and such castle was but now gone. I think of these cities as having castle envy. Our ship, the Crown Princess, is 116.000 the largest we have been on. nice room with a balcony. Routine sail away with the next day at sea passing many oil rigs

Yangtze River

2009-04-04T01:39:00.000-07:00

We have had daily excursions . One involved taking a ferry up a tributary-Danning River-. We passed more cliffs, saw rhesus monkeys and a few goats. The paths up to the occasional village are nearly vertical. The villagers walk down to the river sometimes taking 4 hours to catch the water boats to Wuhan, the city. we saw caves hundreds of feet up the cliffs, two of which had 2000 year old hanging coffins sticking out of them. How did they get them up there? Who knows?
Another day we stopped at Feng Du. As this city was in the path of the rising water, every inhabitant- over a million- had to move. Noy unlike what was proposed for New Orleans following Katrina. Different governments different responses. What was undisturbed in Feng Du was the Ghost City. Basically a walk up a mountain following a soul through his life to the afterlife- choosing hell or heaven. Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian temples. Lots of wonderful superstitions, full length grotesque gargoyles. Lots of fun including a chairlift ride.
Tomorrow we disembark in Chongqing for a 5 hour bus ride to Chengdu- home of the pandas.

Chengdu April2-3

Chengdu is in Sichuan province, home of the spicy food.Hotel Xin Hua is in the center of the city. This is about 100 miles from the epicenter of the massive earthquake last May which killed tens of thousands. Some damage here. Many western factory outlets- Nike, Adidas etc. The sky is generally cloudy due to the pollution from all the factories. What a price to pay! We walked to the central park where we danced with the women, visited a tea house where we saw local men who clean out people's ears using a tuning fork and a stick with a wad of cotton for 10 yuan. We got so involved that we were late for our dinner and needed a bus. Crammed like sardines for 20 minutes, the locals were delighted to see us. Indeed wherever we go we are stared at or approached by those eager to speak to us. They mob us as if we were celebrities.
On April 3 we visited the Chengdu Panda Breeding Center. They 48 of the world's 1000 pandas, every age including 19 babies from the last year. We were fortunate enough to be present as the keeper used a long stick with a hook to feed 3 three yr olds. It quite possibly was the best animal encounter that I can remember. Watching them push each other and crawl and tumble around was worth the trip. Either I'm tired or the pollution has me or just extremely sentimental but I would have given anything for Brit to be there and I got a little teary. There were many school aged 7 yr olds on a class trip eager to interact and pose for pictures. Consummate experience. Brenda from our group paid 1000 yuan- $150- to hold a 6 month old panda named Bei Bei. for about 5 minutes. A dream come true for her. The pandas seem to enjoy the interaction. The 200 acre park is pristine with walkways, bamboo forests everywhere, flowers and an intro movie.
After lunch we visited the Tibetan areas of the city and met a couple on the street who were kind enough to pose for us and answer our questions. Quite proud that they own 100 yaks. They took the bus 17 hours to the big city. Middle aged, 4 children. The wife was fascinated by the viewfinder on my camera and wanted the picture immediately. She only spoke Tibetan though her husband also spoke Chinese. Told our guide to send the print though he has no address and so remote no mail service. This evening we are on Sichuan Air for an hour flight to Lijiang further south nearer Tibet.
LiJiang
We are staying in the old town of Lichiang near the foothills of the Himalayas. This section is over 800 years old consisting of ancient wooden buildings with curved roofs, pedestrian only with a stream and canals running through much of it. Now mostly artisans and hotels it is nonetheless unbelievably picturesque. The town sits at 7000 feet under the Jade Dragon Snow Mtn which is over 20,000 ft altitude with perpetual snow. Indeed the whole town is on a high plain surrounded 360 degrees by mountains. The sky is blue- no pollution. This is the first time my throat has not felt raw. As we walked the streets we saw the chickens and fish live outside the restaurants waiting to be picked out. There was a strong temptation to save them before supper. Our day excursion took us to a Tibetan village and the home of Joseph Rock who settled here as a botanist and taught the local people different skills. The village is quite unique. The houses are fairly similar , made of huge stones, first floor animals, the second for the family. The doors are ornately carved wood- teak I think or mahogany. The people are of different ethnic groups mostly Nazi and Tibetan with also Yee. Their native dress is distinctive and easy to identify each group. the Nazi are blue and have large bows which look like wheels on their back. The children loved the little things we brought.
Really I could have stayed here for a week. The town of Shangri-la is about an hour away. The park is covered in flowering trees and today is the day that the Chinese come to sweep the tombs of their ancestors. It is a holiday throughout the country and we are so fortunate as they are dressed locally here in their finest costumes.
We have determined that Bert and I will leave the group to go to Tibet on our own. We have had to pay separately for the airfare and hotel and for a guide. OAT has gotten the permits. the border has been closed for a month to forestall any unrest over the 50th anniversary of the takeover by them of Tibet and the flight of the Dali Lama. we will fly with our group to Kunming and have dinner with them then head back to the airport to fly back to Chengdu and then onto Llasa the next morning. We will have 3 days there and then fly back through Chengdu to Hong Kong and hook up with the group for the last night before our flight back to the States. This is all pretty ambitious for 2 people who know no Chinese except Ni Hao and Mei Li. We have no tickets and will be met at Chengdu just before that AM flight by a young girl named Vicky Lee who has the documents. We are to meet near a vegetable stand at 6AM. Yeah right!
So there we were landing back in Chengdu at 2AM. We knew we had to wait until 6 for Vicky and looked around for a chair. There were none. Not one. Finally I slid down the side of a window and Bert found a high stool used by a guard during the day. That lasted 20 minutes at which time we were rousted by the police and thrown outside in the street! No one knew a word of English and had no pity on us. Some huckster came up to me and wrote 5 Yuan on his hand and offered to take me somewhere in his car. Can you imagine? Luckily the weather had broken a little and it was not truly freezing. We put on all the clothes we could find and scrunched next to the terminal with all our luggage. Bert even found a piece of cardboard to put under him. Funnily enough some old lady came along and he ended up fending her off as she tried to steal it from him!. I kept thinking, what has happened to me? How did I end up homeless in China on the streets. Me ,a 57 year old , grandmother from Rhode Island. It just made me laugh.
Finally we were allowed back in around 5:30AM to the warm terminal and Vicky showed up right on time. A lovely young 22 year old Chinese girl with excellent English. She spent some time with us as we talked about her life in Chengdu. I wish I could have brought her home.
Tibet
Eventually we boarded our flight to Tibet. We were so conspicuous as we were the only Westerner on the flight. The border had only opened that day and we were the first foreigners to be allowed in. Everyone stared at us when we got to Tibet. The 2 hour flight took us over the tallest mountains I have ever seen. Absolutely desolate and stunning with the snow and rocky peaks. Not a road or sign of habitation to be seen. It was absolutely mesmerizing and the time flew by. The airport for the country is located about 60 miles from Lhasa. This is because it is the closest flat area to the city.
We decided to take the bus to the city which caused further consternation by the locals as foreigners usually take cabs. the bus cost the equivalent of a dollar, the cab around $30- no contest. The funny thing is that our guide who met us there had to come with us leaving his friend who now lost out on his fare. we had to promise that we would stay with our guide- really a guard and not say or do anything political. the tour people were really adamant about that.
Tibet has been a lifelong goal of mine and if it took keeping my opinions to myself for a few days- amen.
The ride in from the airport was beautiful. mountains everywhere punctuated by the occasional village. Everywhere you see flags of all different colors as streamers. We call them pennants. They are for luck here. Lhasa was kind of a surprise and not really a good one. Over the past 50 years the Chinese have slowly started to take away the culture of the Tibetans. They have moved in the Han Chinese who now pretty much outnumber the native Tibetans. The Tibetan houses have been demolished and replaced with typical rather cheap Chinese buildings.The Chinese get the better jobs as well. Our hotel the Shang Bala is in the Tibetan section in the Bakour market. This is more like it. There are pedicabs if we choose not to walk. The altitude is a little dizzying and I realized that many, if not most of our group, would have been herd pressed to tour here.
Our guide, Joe, is Han Chinese and has lived here from Shanghai for 20 years. He asks us very politely not to go out with out him and we agree so he leaves. When we are sure he is gone we go out. Everyone knows who we are. We are interviewed and photographed for Tibet Daily as we are the first outsiders for months. People stare st us but we are captivated by the sounds and sights of the market. We are near the Jokang Temple which is the holiest site in Tibet. Kind of their St Peter's . The women wear colorful wraps and have braids nearly to their feet. The men wear leather wide hats and both carry prayer wheels which they spin as they are walking. Cool way to pray. They walk round and round the Temple. Some people lay prostate on the ground and propel themselves forward like an inchworm. You can smell incense everywhere as well as yak butter. That is what they use to burn as candles. The buildings surrounding the open square with the market are about 2 stories high and on the top are armed soldiers keeping watch. Indeed everywhere we look are the soldiers. There must be 10,000 in the city. It is a little unnerving.
On the way back to the hotel we meet a young man from Ohio who lives here and has founded the Tibet equivalent of Starbucks. He knew who we were of course and it was so interesting to speak with him. From him we learned kind of the inside scoop on the Tibetan -Chinese problems. He will only hire Tibetans though he is married to a Chinese woman. He also has the only internet cafe in Lhasa. He looked like he should be surfing instead of fighting for Tibetan rights. Good for him!
Our 3 days were filled with visits to the monasteries and Potala Palace. I loved Drepung Monastery set way up on a hill past a herd of yaks. The weather turned from bright sunshine to snow within a span of 2 minutes. the mountains were literally breath-taking. Touring inside the monastery, now home to 700 maroon clad monks, we climbed steps which were really ladders. Room after room of Buddhas. A little overwhelming really.
The next day the Potala winter home of the Dali Lama has 1000 rooms. It overlooks and dominates the city and is blinding white with a red roof. I cannot recall how many stairs and ladders we climbed. I was speechless at the amount of gold and silver in the funereal tombs of the many lamas. Literally there were tons of it. The quarters are very close with no windows and the ubiquitous smell of the burning incense and yak butter.
We ate Yak for lunch which was delicious. Joe was an excellent guide. We visited the summer palace- a long walk and then the Jokang Temple near our hotel.
On the roof were gold prayer wheels and excellent vantage points to take pictures down onto the market place. It was here that a police man grabbed my camera and deleted some of my pictures claiming in Chinese- as translated by Joe- that I had taken pictures of the guards on the surrounding buildings. I was kind of scared as he was yelling at me. Then he told me to go stand next to the edge of the wall and motioned to Bert to join me. I didn't know if he was going to shoot us or what. But he did shoot us - with my camera!
We also toured the Sera Monastery which is known for its arguing monks though we did not see that. All in all I was so glad that we went. In a sense it was disappointing that Lhasa has been so decimated but I learned so much.
On the fourth day we headed back to the airport to repeat that spectacular flight. From chengdu we headed on to hong Kong arriving at night. We took a bus to the hotel and met our group while they were at dinner. Our hotel room overlooked the famous harbor and we stayed up as late as we could watching. Looks like a great city and we will come back some day to do it justice. In all we had 12 flights both to and within china. Every one was superb and left on time. I loved our visit to China. I loved the people. I know they show us what they want us to see but it was so worth going.

Yangtze River March 30

2009-03-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

We are now on the Katarina Victoria, a 210 passenger riverboat having embarked inYichang just below the great Three Gorges Dam. Our staterooms are compact but have a balcony. The wall between the cabins however are paper thin with bunks on each outer wall. This AM Joan, one of our women remarked that she was sleeping closer to Jim next door than she was to John her S.O. who was across the cabin. We were howling as she recounted how she could hear Jim snoring and she was dying to whisper through the wall to turn over. Jim, travelling solo for his part said he went into his closet and swore there was someone in there until he realized it was John and Joan next door. Honestly nearly every day we laugh until there are tears in our eyes. Such a fun group.
This mornig we visited the dam built over the last 17 years and just about complete. Massive in size with 5 locks to raise and lower river traffic 350 feet. The govt does not charge for this. The 26 generators supply 3%f China's power. The upshot of the damm, of course, is that it raises the river upstream displacing ancient villages and towns- in all about 1.3 million people have been moved to higher ground. For many this is wonderful. They have indoor plumbing for the first time. For the seniors, however it is the end of a way of life to which they cannot reconcile. The mountains along the banks are undulating and mysterious looking in the fog we have today.

March 29

2009-03-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

Today a short plane trip with China Southern from Xi'an to Wuhan followed by a 5 hour bus ride to Lichang to meet our river cruise ship. The countryside here is quite flat with many lakes and rice paddies. The farmers plow with water buffalo just as their ancestors did. The fields are bright yellow with canola flowers, mile after mile as far as they eye can see. Sometimes there are pagoda tombstones in the middle of the yellow. Bert says that probably marks the spot the farmer dropped. The small villages are similar to those you see anywhere with a big difference. In other countries that I have visited the center of each village is always the Church or Mosque or some house of worship. Religion here is nearly nonexistent. People will go to a temple and leave offerings but it seems more a superstitious ritual than anything else.
We are looking forward to the Yangtze cruise. the pace of the rip is almost frenetic and we need to recharge for the 2nd half. Nothing has been said about Tibet so we are assuming we won't be able to go. What a shame!

Xi'an pt 2

2009-03-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the rain stopped and we climbed the city wall of Xi'an. Forty ft high and 30 ft wide, it encircles the inner city for a length of 11 miles. There are turrets and pagodas all along it. Beautifully preserved. In the afternoon we drove an hour to Hu Xian- a mode village of farmers. We separated into 3 groups to stay with a local family. Madame Gao was a lovely sweet 32 yr old with a husband, 11 yo son who lives with her inlaws. Our room was primitive, the bathroom even more so. After a nice dinner in which we used a lot of sign and body language, she took us to the town square where we were given ornate costumes- yellow for the men and red for the women- and we danced with the villagers for an hour. It was a little surreal to do the bunny hop, macarena and hokey pokey with 100 Chinese women. Kathy, our guide, explains so much about present Chinese life. I feel as though we have learned so much this trip.

Xi'an

2009-03-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

The countryside ranges from mountains to terraced plots carved out with tombstones honoring ancestors overlooking the crops. Most of the cultivation seems done by hand here- no animals other than a few goats. houses are small, brick and grouped together.
Xi'an is a city of 8 million with an intact city wall. We are staying st the Xi'an Garden Hotel in a room overlooking a lagoon with a bridge and pagoda patrolled by 2 gorgeous peacocks who call out intermittently during the night. The Wild Goose Pagoda is an area of parks with temples and drum towers dedicated to a monk who went to India and brought back the concepts of Buddhism.
The main attraction here are the terra Cotta Warriors. These were discovered in 1974 by a local farmer who now sits in the gift shop charging 20 yuan per picture. The soldiers stand in 3 different pits, row upon row, nearly 6000 strong with their horses and chariots. All are different. They serve as an army in the afterlife to the Emperor of the Qin dynasty of 200BC. There are a few generals as well as archers, cavalrymen,etc. Everyone is unique. Fabulous! Was a highlight of the tour marred only by the fact that it's pouring and rather cold. The Chinese turn off the heat on March 15 by law so we're out of luck. No heat even on the bus. The sad thing about the warriors is that when they are found- and this is ongoingg, they are beautifully painted in many colors. The air oxydizes the paint and in a short time it fades away. They should find a way to preserve them

Beijing- Xi'an March 26

2009-03-27T02:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we walked through the "Hutong" which are the original small alleys of old Beijing. They are rapidly disappearing as "progress" comes to China. The government has started to preserve them however which is fine with the citizens. the houses are 1 story high with a small kitchen, sitting room and bedroom. There are no bathrooms. Though they have electricity and running water the toilet facilities are located on the street about the middle of each block. Must be interesting in the winter. They have always lived like this and the seniors love their homes and resist govt attemts to move them to apartments in the suburbs away from their friends. As many as 1/3 of the population of Beijing livie in the hutong. It is exactly as I pictured Beijing to look. We had lunch with a local woman who makes money on the side hosting small groups in her home. What impressed me was how clean the alleys were and no smell despite the limited sanitary facilities. There are many many small dogs beloved by their owners- many wear coats- and still no droppings anywhere.
At nightfall we got on out train to Xian- 800 miles and 11 hours. each compartment was a 6 by 6 with 4 berthss- toilet at the end of the car. About 10 compartments to a car, so potentially 40 people for one toilet. We had just 2 to a room thenk goodness as I have no idea how we could fit 2 more. Eacg berth had a flat screen TV though only 2 channels and in chinese. Big picture window. This is a vert rowdy group and we all piled into 1 compartment to see how many we could fit in. We were laughing so loudly that a teenage girl came to tell us to be quiet. we then split a bottle of chinese firewater which didn't help the sound level. We settled down around 11. It was hard to sleep but certainly an experience. More soon. Staying in a village the next few days, no internet.

Beijing part 2

2009-03-24T02:02:00.000-07:00

Every AM , indded at any time I can look out the hotal window from the 12th floor and watch the action in the little strip of park across the street. Last night as Chinese opera blared on a loudspeaker a group of women did a fan and ribbon dance in unison for over an hour in near darkness. this AM the ping pong games started at 6AM and continued- women replacing men around 8AM. Meanwhile the metal exercise machines are in constant use and motion.
This morning we struck out on our own. Taking the subway was quite easy. The cars were very modern and only a bit crowded at times. We were the only Caucasians the whole hour causing many to stare. As much of the ride was elevated we saw a bit more of the city. We have yet to see any slums or rundown sections.
Our destination was the Temple of Heaven. A huge park containing a temple to the good harvest 125 ft high- a tall circular building featured in many pictures of China. There were many smaller temples all used by the Emperor to pray for the crops. Sacrifices of animals were done in large green ceramic ovens. The park itself was about a mile square, filled with ancient cypress trees and paths. We saw many magpies- large black and white birds with dark blue heads and very loud cries. Tjhere thousands of people enjoying the cold but clear day. We watched fan dancers, couples dancing to all kiinds of music, ribbon dancers and people who just burst into song as they walked. These people are fascinating to watch. They sometimes will just start waving their arms as the walk or even begin to walk backwards. I greet them with "Ni Hao"- Hello and they are thrilled. Frequently they will ask us to pose with them for a picture. Apparently this is an honor for them.
Tomorrow after a visit to the Hutong- the old Beijing shanty town, we leave on an overnight train to Xi'an. This should be an experience. they are tiny berths, 4 to a section with bathroom (read that as hole in the floor) down the hall. We are hoping to have just the two of us in our section but that may not be possible.
I am glad we got to see Beijing. Yesterday we passed the Olympic venues- the bird's nest and ice cube. They looked more impressive on TV. Beijing was so proud to host the Olympics. It really is a world class city and we have enjoyed our visit.

China

2009-03-23T03:09:00.000-07:00

Here we are in china in our quest to see all the world's wonders. Brit obligingly dropped us at the Providence train station- thanksBrit. Always good to start a trip with a train ride. We flew United from Boston to Dulles to Beijing- about 22 hours with the stops. We are again travelling with OAT along with 11 other passengers- 22 days - home by Easter. we received an email informing us that the border with Tibet has been closed. It is the 50th anniversary of the takeover by China and there has been some unrest. We are still hoping to get in as we are scheduled to go there on April 2. We will have an overnight train, several internal flights, overnight in a farmer's house and a panda sanctuary visit.
We finally got into Beijing about 3 hours late. Our plane had mechanical problems in DC and after a long delay we had to get off, switch terminals and reboard another plane. Luckily the plane was 3/4 full. We'd upgraded to economy plus so we had a little extra room and extra seats near us to stretch out. Passed the 14 hours reading, watching movies and snoozing. Worst airplane food I've ever had.
Beijing airport is just a year old due to the Olympics. It was clean, modern and efficient. Though it was just 4:30 when we arrived, it was nearly dark- pollution. Quite honestly I've never seen anything like it. The air appears greenish gray and not just in the sky. It is pervasive. Stephen, our local guide met us at the airport and told us to pray for wind.
We're staying at a Chinese businessman's hotel- the Inlodge. The room is also clean, efficient and modern. So is Beijing for that matter. Our window overlooks a park where we watch the locals do Tai Chi,play ping pong and sing, exercise and rollerblade. Beijing is not what I expected. It is really a nice city. Many new buildings,quiet traffic, friendly people.. If they can just clean their air.
Sunday March 21, 2008
Trying to adjust to a 12 hour time change, we slept well and this AM met the rest of our group.13 in all- age range 57 (me) to mid 70s. Mostly single, 8 woman, 5 male. Our tour leader is Kathy, real name Wong something in Chinese.
We spent the morning in Tian an Men square. It is much like Red Square in Moscow- government buildings, memorials,Chairman Mao's tomb- closed for renovation. didn't get to see him! Acroos the street is the Forbidden City. So named because it was the home of the Emperors from the 14th to the 20th century and the commoners were never allowed. It consists of acres of low slung red brick buildings with yellow tile roofs. It is laid out in a pattern of squares "rings". You enter each through an ornately painted building gate with 5 entrances- the middle only used by the Emperor himself. It was interesting but not as impressive as I thought it would be. Obviously spruced up for the Olympics, there are nointeriors to visit. In the concubine section you could look through windows at very dusty furniture and beds. There are no trees except fpr the Imperial Garden which was very eerie with its limestone figures and ancient cypresses and dragon trees.
We finished the day with a Peking duck dinner served at a huge round table with an equally huge lazy susan. It is a bit hard to serve yourself as someone seems to move the susan just as you are grabbing your food. Especially difficult since we are just getting to know eacg other. the group, though, is quite fun and boisterous at times which is great.
March 22 Beijing
We started our day with a visit to a cloissonne factory. Fascinating to watch these women add strips of copper to a copper vase, then add pigments and paints. then they are fired up to 6 times and sanded for hours. We had a chance top try our hand. Herbie, our guide deemed mine one of the best- a bird in a tree- and I won a pair of cloissonne chopsticks.
A further half hour drive took us to the Great Wall in the north in the mountains. The Badaling section is a gigantic tourist trap with hundreds of busses and many thousands of tourists jostling each other for their trip. To avoid this the OAT people took us further to another section which is not developed as yet. We were vitually the only ones there. Climbed over a thousand steps to the top. Everyone in our original group made it to the top, apparently a first. It was really strenuous but we were proud of ourselves and took lots of pictures. Goi ng back down was hard on the knees. theweather was beautiful. the wind had cleard the air and we couls see very clearly for miles. The wall just goes on forever- 4000 miles in fact. Most of it is undeveloped and unrestored.
We had lunch in the village with a local farmers wife. I am getting good eating with chopsticks. In fact I did not use my fork at all. Lunch consisted of rice, cabbage soup, beans, garlic sprouts, tofu, peanuts, sugar glazed potatoes. I am missing meat but the Chinese rarely eat meat.

Yucatan

2009-01-28T11:48:00.001-08:00

We have taken 6 months off from of our seemingly endless traveling. Not sure if Egypt nearly did us in- I never finished posting the end of the trip- or , more likely, we celebrated the arrivals of our 2 beautiful granddaughters, Riley and Tessa. Anyway tomorrow we are off to Mexico, more precisely the Yucatan to explore the Mayan Ruins. We land in Cancun and set off immediately along the coast towards the west, ultimately to see the newly discovered city of Calakmul. Am looking forward to the warm weather as we in the Northeast seem to have had nothing but snow and cold and ice for a month.

Luxor-Nile River July 2

2008-07-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

We started the day with a balloon over the Valley of the Kings and Queens. My only description is that it was a life time experience. Though I was nervous initially, once in the basket with 9 others it was awesome. The ground seemed to just fall away and the view over the temples and tombs was astounding. It was just before dawn when we lifted off. all around us were the dozen or so balloons of every collor fired up against the dark sky. The sun popped up on cue over the Nile. All we could hear besides the roar of the burners was the sound of the white donkeys braying below in the village. The west bank of Luxor is utterly primitive with mud huts and farms going back hundreds to thousands of years. We flew with Mohammed our captain for an hour rising to 2000 feet. We landed softly in a sugar cane field. While waiting for the rescue crew we saw a dozen young kids on donkeys gallopping across the field towards us. Begging , of course, and we resisted on the advice of Mohammed. Now i can't wait to do another ballon ride. After a visit to the Luxor Museum and the fruit market, we boarded our riverboat, the Royal Serenade. She may have seen better days but we are only 20 persons with a crew of 54.
The temp is 115 with no breezes. We glided upstream passing camels, water buffalo, palm trees and occasional mud villages. There is a very thin ribbon of greenery on each bank with the desert right behind where the irrigation stops. We haven't seen a single cloud since we left NY.
Bert has been feeling poorly the past 2 days. Antinal has not worked on him. Other than the Chilean cold last year this is the first time we've gotten ill during our travels. We are enjoying many of our fellow passengers especially life partners Miguel and Richard from Queens , NY. Miguel teached mime and public speaking at CUNY. During a party on the boat he was challenged to do a Charlie Chaplin and Michael Jackson imitation. Hysterical. With his Spanish accent and positive attitude he reminds me of Oswald from Amazing Race. Another couple from the South spend several months a year working with their church group building schools and orphanages in 3rd world countries at their own expense. A widow from California has been spending 3 months a year in Tanzania teaching music and art and helping to found a school there. Interesting and wonderful people to get to know.

Luxor continued

2008-07-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

At the valley of the kings we visited 3 tombs- you have a choice of about 10. You walk throgh several hundred yards of passageway lined with brilliant hieroglyphics pertaining to that particular king..It was very crowded and unbearably hot- even at 7 AM. That said i really enjoyed it. Outside the tombs there are large hill of barren rock. Nothing green- hiding untold treasures beneath. nearly all the known tombs had been looted, only Tut's tomb remained intact.
We then visited Hatsheputs temple- not that impressive - followed by the valley of the queens for a tomb similar to those a few hours before. Here is was nearly deserted and we had the place to ourselves. A visit to an alabaster factory, lunch and then, blessedly the pool. This evening we took a short ride in a feluca, a sail boat on the Nile. I think we drank a little too much- the heat you know- and it was little difficult getting off. Later a carriage rise through town in the dark accompanied the ever present sounds of the muezzin- the call to prayer for the moslims. This seems to go on all day starting at 4 AM. I think each mosque has a different time to do the call and since there are so many it seems to be every 5 minutes. The sound is a bit grating not as pretty as the church bells of Europe. It just reinforces the exotic atmosphere. Yes Bonnie I did think of Josh existing in this heat and climate. Bless him, I don't know how he did 15 months in Iraq.

Luxor July 1,2008

2008-07-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

We started out at 4:45 this AM after a 4AM wakeup call. We are 2 groups of 10 with 2 leaders and 2 small vans but stay at the same hotels and eat together. Our Isis group has been relatively healthy with only 2 cases of Mummy Tummy. the other Habibi group members are dropping like flies. One lady did not come this AM so that made 1 less. We took a colorful boat across the Nile to watch the sun rise from the West Bank at a farm. There was a woman there baking our breads in anoutdoor oven- they also use the sun to bake breads- that's how hot it is. We sat on carpets at 2 huge round tables outside beside the river and were served a breakfast really not unlike a western bkfst.Halfway through the meal Louis at the other table suddenly became unresponsive. Two of us are nurses- he didn't seem to be having a heart attack- good pulse and color- possibly a stroke or diabetic thing or just the heat. He came around after a few minutes fully alert but we sent him and his wife back on the boat to see a doctor- he seems fine tonight.- anyway 3 down. We then went to the Valley of the Kings- the tombs of the Pharoahs. Thjere the other group leader fainted twice and had to be carried away- 4 down. On top of that 3 of the habibi group have terrible coughs. We combined both groups onto our bus. We think they are cursed!

Cairo June 29,2008

2008-06-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Back again. So odd to use this internet. Nearly all of it is in Egyptian and you have to do everything from right to left. Their letters resemble squiggles and ,to me, are indecipherable. So I was talking about yesterday and our time in old Cairo. We also saw a water buffalo tied to a fence in the middle of the city (produces milk for the street). Everywhere you look there are minarets and mosques, apparently over 10,000. The streets in the old part are cobbled and sandy. Nearly every women wears a veil. The egyptians have become much more fundamentalist in the past 20 years.
After lunch we toured the Egyptian Museum. The most extraordinary artifacts stored in an unairconditioned 110 year old building that looks like something from an Indiana Jones movie. The whole 2nd floor contains the trove from King Tut's tomb including his 200lb. solid gold sarcophagus and the famous gold mask. We also saw 12 royal mummies, some pretty gruesome, as well as some animal mummies. One of the queens even had her pet mummified baboon by her side. The new museum opens in 2011 "inshallah" - Egyptian for God willing. Really it is deesperately needed- a crime to keep these priceless treasures as they are now. Sat evening we flew south an hour to Luxor-ancient Thebes- home of the Valley of the Kings.On the way to the airport we stopped at the site of the assassination of Anwar Sadat and his tomb across the street. sad, he held a lot of promise for Egypt. It was 27 years ago, doesn't seem that long.
Luxor
We are staying in the Winter Palace Hotel, the "grande dame" of Luxor and the nicest hotel in this city of 200,000. We have a large balcony with rattan chairs overlooking the palm garden. Cairo temps are cool compared to here. Today the temp is 116. Somehow, though I was very careful, I have developed the Pharoah's Revenge aka Mummy's Tummy. Fortunately I was able to get a magical Egyptian potion- Antinal- which seems to be helping. This AM we spent the day at the Karnak Temple- remember Johnny Carson? I cannot say too much because I was overwhelmed by the heat, feeling ill,etc. I learned a bit about the Pharoahs but pretty sure I won't remember much. This afternoon we rested beside the pools with some of our new friends.They actually have to cool the water. The pool is 79, outside 110.
By 5:30 the temp had cooled to 102 with occasional breezes off the Nile. An hour tour of the Temple of Luxor was enough to "temple us out" for the day. Some guy in a tunic singled Bert out and spirited him away to a hieroglyphic wall indicating that he would get a special blessing by touching his hand to his head and then the wall 14 times. This info cost him 1 egyptian pound- 18 cents. Cheap price for good luck.
In other news, we signed up for a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings in 2 days. Already I am a wreck but we paid for it so I am going this time. Our wake up call is for 4AM for a breakfast at a farm village on the other side of the Nile so I am off to bed.

Egypt June 27-29,2008

2008-06-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Going to Egypt in the summer is a little crazy- no that isn't the right word- maybe insane. But here we are on another OAT trip with 18 fellow crazies. We all fell prey to the extraordinary low prices and great value. Nonsto to Cairo from JFK- 3 hours on runway then 10 more in the air. I have never seen so much luggage anytime,anywhere. The few Americans on the plane basically had little more than backpacks, but the Egyptians! Each and every one had the most gigantic cases imaginable. Even the 20 babies had them. I really feared wo wouldn,t get off the ground. However, cramped and old he plane, we did make it.
First night in Heliopoulos in a beautifully landscaped hotel near the airport on the edge of the desert. After too short a sleep we rose tofollow our leader Ghadda to Cairo 20 miles away. 18 million live in this 1000 year old city. We toured 2 17th century homes- not really typical as the had 100 rooms each/ Women lived in the harems unseen by the men. Tiny airless rooms. Did I mention the heat? OMG- in the 90s, sultry, dusty. A busy ancient city with too many cars and smog. Still though, there are donkeys and horsecarts. Back later off to the temple!

Ponta Delgado, San Miguel, Azores, April 22, 2008

2008-06-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

We couldn't just go straight home without stopping to see this lovely island. Sata Air flies directly to Boston through the Azores so I arranged to have a 9 hour layover. I had rented a car and came prepared with a map. What I wasn't prepared for was the beauty of this island out in the middle of the Atlantic, one of about 8 that belong to Portugal. Ponta Delgado is the capital and about 3 miles from the airport. The island can be covered in a day or two but ideally a few days to savor would have been better. We saw few, if any, hotels and no tourists. It is lush green with a riot of flowers everywhere. Hydrangeas of many different colors grow wild. The eastern side of the island contains the collapsed volcano that gave birth to San Miguel .We walked around the bubbling hot springs and vents. There were large cooking pots in several of them. The locals use the vents to cook their stews- nature's crock pot. There seemed to just be a slower pace to life here. It reminded me of Ireland 25 years ago. We watched as a farmer hitched his horse to the milk wagon to bring his jugs to market. He must have thought we were crazy as we kept snapping his picture. As we were driving we came upon a herd of cows moseying along. There were hundreds of them blocking the road. I honestly think there are more cows here than people. We found ourselves thinking that this was like the garden of Eden. One of our favorite stops on a trip which was so diverse.

Lisbon, April 20-22, 2008

2008-05-31T18:28:00.000-07:00

After leaving our new friends on the Rotterdam- many went on 12 more days to Athens- we checked into a modest- that's being kind- Lisbon hotel. The location, however was excellent. We were in the very old section next to the Gloria elevator- an ancient yellow tram that just goes up the steep street and then back down- probably a 45 degree angle. The highlight the first day was the Gulbenkian Museum. Mr G, donated his vast private art collection to Lisbon 50 years ago. Everthing from ancient Roman and Egyptian artifacts to Renoirs, Monets, Degas and Lalique with a little of everything in between from coins to rugs, silver and furniture. Three museum buildings, very modern and situated in several acres in the north center of the city. There were ponds, flowering trees, paths and sculptures. Peaceful and serene ,it was a real find. We even ran into some of our former shipmates on the street.
The next AM we took the train about 40 minutes northwest to the village of Sintra. This was the site where the elite of Portugal built their palaces and castles. For a few euros we took the bus to the main attractions. First, the Moorish Fortress which overlooks the city from high overhead. We climbed the walls to see the magnificent valley and gazed over to the ocean. We then hopped back on the bus going even higher on a winding and twisting one lane, one way road to the Pena Palace. This was the summer palace of the Portugese kings reminiscent of Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. It sits 1500 feet up on the top of a mountain. Very colorful and more tiles than could be imagined. Portugal is justly famous for its gorgeous tiles called "azuelos". They adorn everything , walls, floors, ceilings, even streets.
After touring the many rooms we descended via the bus to the village. There we had to see one more palace, the National Palace of Sintra. Again the tiles were stunning. I especially was taken with the swan room. It was a huge ballroom or hall probably 80 feet long and the ceiling were covered with various designs of swans. There was also a room which was totally tiled with the family crests of the 86 ruling familes of Portugal. The kitchen area concluded the tour and had 2 gigantic smoke chimneys for ventilation. By this time we were palaced out and after a nice lunch we took the train back to Lisbon to get ready for the flight home in the AM.

Cadiz, Spain April 19,2008

2008-05-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

Cadiz is the oldest permanently inhabited city in the western world. The ruins go back to the Phoenicians. It is just beautiful and very well set up for tourists though they get few.To get around you can follow different colored lines depending on your interests- like the Freedom Trail in Boston. We enjoyed the 2000 years old Roman amphitheater . Discovered about 25 years ago, its subterranean gallery is virtually unchanged in millenia. The streets of Cadiz are medieval narrow with balconies and lead to plazas every few hundred feet. The obligatory churches and cathedral. A great city museum. Really a great unheralded city located west of Gibraltar. And the best part- they sell TAB!!! Gotta love Spain! Tomorrow Lisbon and off the ship.

Rabat, Morocco April 18, 2008

2008-04-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

After a day at sea we landed in Casablanca. This as a giant modern city of 4 million with little to see other than the Hassan II Mosque. It being Friday, the Islamic sabbath, it was mostly closed. Instead we hopped on the train to Rabat, the nation's capital. We sprang for 1st class tickets though 2nd didn't seem too bad. Many other passengers, seeing us, decided to come along. Unfortunately, at first, it was raining in Rabat. Along with 2 other couples we walked to the King's (Mohammed VI) Palace but only got to the door- no visitors. The guards were colorful and the grounds looked interesting and ornate, fountains, trees, etc. Three of us were able to get a petit taxi while Bert and I and Tim schlepped through the rain about 3 miles to the Hassan Tower. The sun came out as we got there and it became a glorious day. Opposite the 12th century tower is the mausoleum and the white onyx crpyt of the past 2 kings. The cupola was covered in gold. We looked down from an interior balcony watched over by 4 guards in beautiful green uniforms. Outside the gates, 2 guards on white horses stood sentry wearing flowing robes that were very active in the wind.
On our own we made our way along the river to the ancient Kasbah. This is the original city, 500 meters square and 2000 years old. Tiny alleys every which way. One story buildings, the lower 3 feet painted deep blue while the upper areas are blazing white. We entered a rug making school and the young woman there showed me how to make a pile rug. Her hands were as fast as a machine tying the yarn and cutting it. We did buy a rug on the way back to the Gare in the medina.That was an experience but we each got the kiss kiss at the end of the transaction. I noticed that the businessmen on the streets traditionally greet each other with 4 kisses, 2 each cheek so they are doubly as affectionate as the Argentinians. I really liked Rabat. It was clean, organized and I thought of it as Morocco light. I guess the best place to go for the experience would be Marrakesh but that is for another trip.

Lanzarote,Canary Islands April 16, 2008

2008-04-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

This is another island in the chain. It is totally volcanic. Other than some palm trees it is pretty barren.Every house on the island is some form of rectangle and white. Really. Every building on this good sized island is white, save 2 renegades. We rented a car again and drove all over.
El Golfo was a yellow green lagoon set against black lava cliffs rising a few hundred feet on each side. Everywhere we drove we saw collapsed cone dormant volcanoes. Each village was similar- doors and windows either blue or green with those white stucco box houses. Few gardens unless they were cactus.
We stopped to watch the tour busses send their myriad passengers on camel rides for 20 minutes up and down the hill. One person on each side in a basket swing. They all loved it. We did not participate as there was such a crowd- probably a hundred camels. Towards the end of of our drive we stopped at Mirador de Rio. A 500 ft cliff overlooking Graciosa Island a short distance away. The sea turned every color of blue and turquoise and aqua depending on the overhead cloud formations. A lovely way to end the visit.

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain April 15, 2008

2008-04-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

Tenerife is one of 7 Canary Islands which are really the tips of hundreds of volcanoes about 100 miles off Morocco. This island is triangular shaped and about 30 by 50 miles. The population is about 700,000. We debarked in Santa Cruz and immediately felt at home. It is a modern and efficient city and I could undertand the Spanish. We rented a car and drove much of the island. We passed villas and houses clinging to the cliffs. Little of the island is flat. It rises ultimately to 12000 foot Mt Teide which is the highest peak in Spain and 3rd largest volcano in the world. Roads were excellent. We had a Citroen C3- small but cool car which unfortunately had a bad front wheel cylinder or brake -not sure. The road to the mountain is steep and constantly hairpins. We saw every kind of rock formation and miles of lava fields. It was harrowing coming back down. The sea was nearly always visible. Trees flowering in bright reds and purples contrasting with homes which are boxy shaped and cantaloupe, bright yellow or ochre in color. What made it extra special was the bluest sky- no pollution. I could see why people move here. The Canary Islands are deemed the most pleasant place on earth to live. I could see why.

Dakar, Senegal, Sunday April 13, 2008

2008-04-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

A new day, a new country. Senegal completely wraps around Gambia and seems a little more prosperous, at least in Dakar. Dakar is a very large city with new tall buildings- one of the largest in Africa. We opted, however, for a ferry to Ile de Goree. This is a 38 acre island, 2 miles off the coast of Dakar. We were able to pay with dollars as long as we rounded up to $35 - from $32- no singles. Dollars are just not popular anymore. You know things are bad when even the poorest Africans refuse them. Anyway a nice scam for the ticket guy. Several of us from the ship went over. The island itself is known as the holding area for the slaves prior to being shipped to the New World. There is a museum depicting this and tours of the tiny cells in which they imprisoned and tortured these poor souls.
On the brighter side the island is an oasis of absolutely stunning beauty. Most of the buildings are restored and painted deep shades of red, ochre, yellows and greens. There are no vehicles of any kind. One thousand people live there. Although they tend to pester tourists, they are easier to dissuade than in The Gambia and Dakar itself. We wandered the quiet peaceful streets admiring the flowers and art work. The fort museum was interesting and afforded views over the rest of the island. Lots of goats and small cats live here. They just wander around like us.
The highlight for me was following the sound of an angelic choir coming from the Catholic church. Entering it at the back, we were in time for Communion- men on the left, ladies on the right. All were dressed in their finest batik clothes including headdresses. The littlest children sat in a group up front. Perfectly behaved. They were blessed after Communion by the priest. The choir, though, was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. Here are these people, living in a very predominately Muslim country, poor but so proud, really celebrating their faith. I need to see things like this periodically.
After the return on the ferry, we had 2 hours to get to the ship. After walking the streets constantly bombarded by hustlers- called bumsters here- Bert decided to return. I continued to walk on my own looking for an open internet place. It was a bit harrowing at times but I just tried to ignore the bumsters. Frequently a man would just walk alongside me at my shoulder saying nothing. There were few others on the streets because it was Sunday. Finally I found the ship. I tried to buy a few sodas but no one would accept dollars and I certainly did not have CFAs (their money). In the end I wandered into the medina (probably not smart) and literally 4 men helped me do the sale. French and Woloof are the languages here -neither one I am fluent in or even have a few words. I was relieved to return to the mothership.
Africa was interesting but I met no one during the past few days who felt a burning desire to return. It wasn't the poverty to me, rather the difference of boundary limits that these folks have. They stand so close and keep touching in a familiar way even though they do not know us. I am not used to that and it felt threatening. As I said interesting but no pangs at leaving and no plans to return.

Gambia Part 2

2008-04-19T04:45:00.000-07:00

This may be a bit confusing. I an writing this from Cadiz, Spain and the keyboard is so worn out that the letters are gone and I have to remember where they are from memory and it is driving me crazy. Tomorrow we leave the ship in Lisbon and are on our own for 3 days.
Lamiñ Lodge is an eco friendly all wood restaurant in the middle of a mangrove swamp. Green velvet monkeys roam freely and will steal the food, your camera and water whenever they can. A man stands near the table with a stick to warn them. They are, however, cheeky and adorable. The restaurant, reached by a long rickety bridge was equally as shaky in structure. The floor over the swamp was half 4 inch logs nailed together with spaces big enough to see the water beneath or some sand. At one point during lunch one of the monkeys reached his hand up between the slats and grabbed my sandal. After lunch we took a short dugout canoe ride paddled by 2 men , each named Abraham.Abraham1 asked Bert to send him to dental school. He politely declined.
On the way back to Banjul we made one last stop at a croc park noted for its miraculous waters- fertility- no thanks. There we met, pet and posed for pictures with Charlie- world's tamest croc. I guess he is but, to be honest, after I pet him I walked a few feet away to take a picture and he made a quick turn and started towards me. For about 10 seconds I panicked as there was a tree blocking my escape. His mouth was open but fortunately he stopped about 3 feet away and I ducked under the tree and away. We said goodby to The Gambia- and I mean goodbye!. It is apparently the 4th poorest country on earth. Little to recommend it other than a warm-hot climate. Maybe they can make a go of tourism but they will have to pick up a lot of garbage and put in sewers rather than use the streets.

The Gambia April 12, 2008

2008-04-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

My first time in Africa. The Gambia is a finger shaped country-formerly British, which is 60 miles wide and 350 miles long. It is bisected by the wide Gambia River which is their life force. The 1 million people have no natural resources, are the 4th poorest nation in the world. Although English is the national language, they speak to each other in one of 8 tribal dialects primarily Wollof and Mandika. We learned "Wow" is "yes" and "didit" is no. We were also warned not to say "can I take your photo". Why? Because "photo" means a man´s private parts! That said you still have to ask because they do believe in animus and feel you are stealing their souls with each "photo".
The women wear gorgeous full length "boubous" with a matching headdress. They carry their babies wrapped to their back and carry whatever they need on their heads. The men wear either trousers with a colorful tunic or a full length tunic and a fez. The children wear similar things except for the kids we saw in uniforms.
We took a tour with about 20 other passengers on a converted open air army truck. Our guide was Abdullah and we had 2 guards for the 14 on our truck. Gambia is desperately poor and though not violent, the children and some men will crowd right into you in a swarm. It was a little uncomfortable until I learned not to be so polite and just said no or didit loudly or "don,t touch me". We rode along the coast- only 3-4 hotels, none higher than2-3 stories- to a fishing village. There were hundreds of people there involved in emptying 25 foot long open air boats of their catches- barracudas, snapper, etc. The boys swim out beyond the waves and carry back baskets of fish on their heads. The crowd parts as they run up to the scales. The fish are then sold. The small ones dried and salted in large barns heated by the wood gathered outside. This is the country's primary business besides peanuts.
There were so many children today because the Gambian president and that of Sierra Leone were due to pass by on the road and they were duty bound to line the way with flags and cheers. We missed them by a few minutes. The rode we drove on for 40 miles is the only paved road in the country. We shared it with donkey carts and goats and not too much else. Only 2 to 3 traffic lights in the Gambia.
Following the fishing village we went off road to Lamin Lodge. This entailed a bumpy dirty road occasionally with branches so low the fruit dropped into our laps. I got a lime , Klaus next to me got a mango! Bert just came in. I am posting this from Tenerife in the Canaries and we are due back at the ship. Will finish the story next time I can find an internet. Love to read your comments, makes me a little homesick, Love to everyone!

At sea April 9-11

2008-04-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

It takes 3 days to cross from Brazil to the Gambia. There is a traditional ceremony when you sail across the Equator for the first time. On the Rotterdam this trip there were about 20 crew members initiated from being "pollywogs" to "mariners". King Neptune made an appearance and he commanded that each of them kiss a fish- 100 lb snappers on the pool deck. Then they were slathered with gooey slime and floured and judged by the Captain and the crowd whether to be dunked in the pool or "spared". It was very funny- luckily one passenger volunteered for all the rest of us and we were all pardoned.
We spent the 3 days reading, talking with other passengers, attending lectures, etc. It is a wonderful peaceful way to live. We crossed the actual Equator-0 latitude- at 12:30 AM April 10. Bert and I went out on deck to see if there was actually a line- kidding! There was a lady however who pulled out a cell phone and called someone at home to share the event. Imagine calling home from the Equator in the middle of the ocean. Each of the 3 nights at sea we move the clocks ahead an hour so we are having 23 hour days. An easy way to avoid jet lag but it messes up my circadian rhythm. Im a 24 hour a day girl.

Recife, Brazil April 8, 2008

2008-04-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

This was our last stop in Brazil. Giant city , over a million people. Brazil has 200 million with 150 million living on its coasts. The downtown is like any other- large, tall buildings intertwined with old churches and market squres, called pracas. We took the shuttle bus to the centro and then found a city bus to our day´s destination- Olinda. Olinda sits up on the hill about 6 miles north . The eastern part right on the ocean. It was settled by the Portugese. The streets are as steep as is physically possible to drive- narrow and , of course ,all cobble stone. The Cathedral de Se sits on the very top- sort of ugly- but a million dollar view through the thick jungle with sweet songed birds and multi-hued flowers looking down to the city of Recife and the turquoise Atlantic. We basically wandered the streets for a few hours gaping at the pastel colored houses. We went through every art gallery but never saw a painting that was "the one", It was hot and humid but so pleasant. Again not a soul spoke a word of English and almost no Spanish. They just do not get many tourists here. I really love the palms trees everywhere. The breezes are warm and you can hear Brazilian Samba everywhere you go. A municipal bus ride back for a dollar or 2 to the city. We did get kind of lost at that point so had to resort to a taxi for the ride back to the dock. No big deal. No internet though posting this a week late.

Maceio, Brazil

2008-04-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well today we are up the coast a bit in the city of Maceio. Big sugar cane area. There are men in the streets who take the long canes and run them through a grinder producing a milky sugary drink which they sell. There are many fisherman who pole their boats along the shore hauling in fish big and small in huge nets by hand. There is a reef about a quarter mile off the shore thereby reducing the waves. Not much to do here beyond going to the beach. It is , of course extremely beautiful and the water is the warmest I have ever been in for an ocean. Must have been over 90 degrees. The clouds have left. We sail in a few hours for our last port in Brazil. From there it is 3 days across the ocean to the Gambia. I hope to get in one last post before then.

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

2008-04-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Before I write about the ship and this really cool city I want to write about the man we met on the Metro in Rio. He was sitting next to me, older, dressed well and with the deepest voice. He turned to me and said," Do you have concerns?" I answered that I always have concerns but just needed direction re our next stop. We talked a little and then he started to sing a Sinatra song to me. The most beautiful voice! Then he told me that Francis Albert is his god. He had met him in 1980 . Then he launched into a short medley. Unfortunately our stop came but we were tempted to stay on and spend more time with him.
We joined the ship on the 4th. The Rotterdam is quite beautiful and we have met the most interesting passengers. All of them are far better travelled than we and so fascinating. All over the world is represented. Food is wonderful,of course, and even the entertainment. After a day at sea we are now in the port city of Salvador de Bahia. The old part of the city is called the Pelinho and contains literally hundreds of churches. It is still cobbled and all the buildings date from the 17th century and look it. It is pouring alternating with sun. We were greeted by a brilliant rainbow on our arrival. I am writing this entry sitting in an ancient building in the old slave section. The store owners have taken pity on us during the downpours. The streets are narrow and either head up at a 45 degree angle or down at the same. The cobbles are a bit slippery from the rain . Each building is a different color from every pastel imaginable. Overall it gives a very funky appeal. Lots of artists and craftsmen and cafes. No one else here but those of us from the ship and even most of those seemed to have abandoned the area due to the weather. It is about 80 with a similar humidity. At one of the shops we were stranded in, the young shopkeeper insisted on teaching Bert to play the tambourine to a Samba beat while he played another instrument. It was hysterical but a lot of fun. They really seem to be good hearted people. Yes, Doug, we are being cautious but things are going very well. The last thing to mention is that we went into the Franciscan Church. Nearly every single surface was covered in gold. Over 100 kg were used. Was the gaudiest thing you could imagine but.... I thought the franciscans took a vow of poverty. So tomorrow we are off to Maceio and hopefully a day at the beach. I love this internet place. Some guy is out in the street playing Samba instruments and the sun is out! Yeah!

Rio De Janeiro

2008-04-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a difference 24 hours makes. At 11 AM Tuesday I was in the midst of the seniors in Hebron working. Just 24 hours later I was in a wild cab careening down the streets of Rio at high speeds- missing others by millimeters, brakes squealing, horns blaring. It was like being in the middle of a live action version of the car chase video games.
The driver seemed delighted that he had caused Bert´s heart to palpitate as he rode shotgun. He kept patting him on the back saying something in ?Portugese. No idea what. I have been in Portugal and thought it not too different from Spanish. Not in Brazil. It is really hard to follow and really few people have much English.
We are at the Premier Copacabana Hotel, a moderate 15 story with a spectacular rooftop pool area that overlooks Copacabana and in turn is looked down on by the Christ the Redeemer statue.
We flew Tam Air- lots of delays, somewhat surly staff but we did get here. They are no Thai Air- that´s for sure. At least we don´t have to fly back with them.
Rio seems beautifully situated with the ocean on one side backing up into myriad mountains. Climbing up the sides of these are the favelas- neighborhoods which are really shantytowns. There is presently an outbreak of dengue fever so we cover up. It is also a dangerous city due to the widespread poverty. I wear no jewelry and am very conscious at all times of my surroundings. It is a little nerve wracking but we are only here for a few days and overall the city in so beautiful and unique.

Wed April 3
Up early at breakfast we met a German couple, Hans and Sylvia who will also be on the ship. They, as most others, are taking a formal tour. We, as usual, strike out on our own. We used the Metro and bus to get to Corcovado. This is the site of the massive Cristo Redemptor statue- now one of the 7 wonders of the world. For about 36 Reals or $20 we took a cog railroad to the top of the hill passing through the Tijuca Rainforest. We were among the first there. Unbelievable views! 2329 feet up in the air. The art deco Christ was 98 feet higher. We could see all of Rio- the mts.,bays, beaches. Incredible!
From there we were back on the metro to the Metropolitan Cathedral. The most bizarre church. It looks like a concrete honey-combed beehive with 4 huge stained glass windows culminating in a clear window cross at the top. We were able to attend Mass. These people really get into it- alternately clapping and raising thier hands high- not to mention the kiss of peace.
A short walk took us to Lapa- a favela- and the Sedlaron Escalaria. This is a formerly concrete set of stairs taken over 20 years ago by the artist Sedlaron. He has covered all the walls and step risers with tiles from all over the world. The result is a wild melange of color and shapes. Truly fascinating. Sedlaron himself was working laying some tile today and he took time out for a picture. He lives in a tiny room, wears a red hat and shorts and nothing else. Born in Chile in 1947, he sports a grey ponytail and a warm personality. His present assistant, Angela, is a 20 something beauty from Mexico City who translated for us. He drew a quick sketch for us as a souvenir. A very interesting experience.
We ended our tour at Sugar Loaf. We were fortunate to be befriended by a young businessman who directed us thru the Metro and bus ride telling us of his years in Austin, Tx and what it was like to live in Rio. I survived the cable car to Sugar Loaf. The car flew high over the harbor- 1300 feet. If you know how much I hate heights, you would be very impressed. The payoff was the view from the top. Indescribable. Rio has to be the most beautifully situated city in the world. At the top we got drinks and then listened as the couples near us discussed theirimpemding cruise tomorrow. These 12 people were 4 Dutch and 8 Asian. So we will have a veritable UN on board.
Tonight we ate takeout empanadas on the hotel roof with a warm breeze and soft raindrops. Bert finished his day with a sauna. As I write this in the hotel, the lady next to me is also on the cruise and we are making plans for tomorrow.Please excuse the poor writing. The keyboard is missing many letters.

Tri Continent Journey

2008-03-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for another journey in a few weeks. This time we are off to Rio for a few days and then joining the Rotterdam for a cruise up the coast of Brazil stopping in 3 more ports. From there we cross the equator to Gambia, Senegal, the Canaries, Morocco and on to Cadiz in Spain and disembarking in Lisbon. After a couple of days we fly home via the Azores to Boston. We have our visa for Brazil, malaria pills and typhoid and yellow fever shots. We are ready for anything! This a hard one to get ready for because I do all the research on each port eschewing the ship excursions. Should be interesting in the African ports.

Cambodia

2007-09-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a really long tuktuk ride out to the countryside to see a few more temples. Mr Han's tuk tuk is propelled by his 150cc motorbike pulling us along behind him in a rickshaw type cab open air. I will be coughing up dust and bugs for a week but it was awesome. We passed farmers working in the rice paddies with their straw hats aided by their water buffaloes, their straw huts which are all about a story off the ground to protect from the bugs and water, and the vendors selling their sugar cane and various wares on the roadsides. There were signs warning of the landmines still present yet people still went into the fields. We had our lunch at the side of a 1000 year old moat, man made for the king. We saw the "TombRaider" temple made famous in the movie.The silk cotton trees form roots that literally creep into the stones and alternately pull the temples apart or hold them together. Still hot but what can you do?
Today is our last day and the flight leaves tonight to Bangkok, then a 4 hour layover and 17 hours back to JFK. After that a 3 hours drive- home Saturday - and then sleep. Thanks to all of you who read this and sent emails or added comments. So now we are off to see a silk farm in action and one last look at the famous Angkor Temple.

Siem Reap

2007-09-05T03:12:00.000-07:00

So here I am in Cambodia. Siem Reap- at least in the section where we are staying -is just what I was hoping for. Most everyone rides motor bikes or bicycles.Many of the roads are unpaved and the people gather under pavilions made of tin or thatch to watch TV. They are very poor but every bit as friendly as the Thais, if even more so.However things are changing at warp speed. Everywhere you look just a few blocks away there are new giant hotels either just open or being built. Mr Han our tuk tuk driver for the next 3 days tells us the main road was only paved 5 years ago. Prices are high for foreigners but I don''t mind as they need it. On the first night Mr Han showed us around and then took us to the site of the Killing Fields. He had tears in his eyes as he recounted the horror of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-79. They killed nearly 1/3 of the population. There is a monument consisting of their skulls. They were then invaded by Vietnam which actually stopped much of the bloodshed but they were left with nothing, most of their young men dead as well as the children. Currently there is a severe outbreak of dengue fever which we know as hemmorhagic fever. There are signs all over asking for blood as the people can bleed to death. It is mosquito borne so we are being careful and using Deet 100%. There is a doctor here named Dr Beat who plays his cello every night at 7 in concert for free and then asks for donations for his hospital or you can give blood. They say he has saved countless lives.
We are staying in a Khmer style inn but owned by an Aussie couple who are away at home as they have just had a baby and reluctant to bring it here until the Dengue subsides. The inn is mostly run by Cambodian young people who are learning English and being trained in the hospitality business. It is a little difficult to communicate but it is great for them to practice. We had a guide- Kea- who today took us to Ankgor Wat and Angkor Thom. These are the 2 main attractions. They are huge ornate edifices built 1000 years ago in the jungle. Recently reopened after much of the vines and mines were cleared away, the Cambodians are pinning their hopes on its tourism value. It was wonderful climbing all over but I must say it was hot! It had to be 100 and the humidity put Bangkok to shame. We were wringing wet by 9 and spent nearly 6 hours . I could have drunk 5 liters of water but we had only 3 for both of us so we begged off the last temple. Last night Mr Han took us to a quiet small temple in the jungle where we were the only people. The inn had sent a bottle of wine and cheese and olives in a basket. There were parrots yeling at us from the trees that were growing out of the ruins. We stayed until nearly dark. It was mesmerizing. We passed a troop of monkeys who watched us from their perch above on the gate chattering to each other. I think they were discussing us!
As I write this I am sitting in the open air of an internet cafe on a dirt road with folks going by on their mopeds sometimes loaded with 3-4 people. Vendors pushing their carts loaded with fruits. There is a spirit house near me to ward away evil spirits. This has definitely been a worthwhile experience. It has taught me to really pay attention to the world of southeast Asia. Having experienced the heat and insects= let me tell you about how painful it is to be bitten by 20 red ants- I have so much respect for the GIs who served in VietNam. Well, back to the inn where Bert is having a foot massage. We are going tonight to an Aspara Dance show- the royal dance of Cambodia. Tomorrow we go to more temples including Ta Prom which was the one used in the movie Tomb Raiders. I will bring more water. This is supposed to be monsoon season but we have seen very little rain, none of which affected us. Buddha be praised!

Last day in Thailand

2007-09-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day with our group. We spent the morning touring the Golden Palace. This was the ancient residence of the king and the sacred temple. It is aptly described as golden. The whole complex of temples and buildings has a wow factor of 10 plus. Each building was adorned in gold leaf or mirror reflecting the beautiful ceramics. Words could not do it justice. Even with the temp at 95 and humidity at 80 it was spectacular. The main temple or wat contains the emerald buddha- who is really jade. He was dressed in his rainy season garb of pure gold- He gets a heavier gold coat in the winter and a lighter one in the Thai summer which is April and May. The king had a gold house for everything including one to change his clothes before he got on the elephant. There is a building just used to hold the dead body of a royal family member. They put them in a large urn in the fetal position for 100 days and seal the top. During this time they build an elaborate funeral pyre and then cremate them on it on the 100th day. We have learned so much of their customs and about the culture. We set out on our own for the afternoon visiting the Reclining Buddha at Wat Po. He is 140 feet long and 50 feet high and of course covered in gold. You get a bowl of 108 coins and put one in each of 108 bowls for the buddha to bring you luck and prosperity and health. I gave it a shot- always one to hedge my bets.
After a visit to see the Oriental hotel- how the other half lives- I set out on my own visitng the rabbit warren known as Chinatown. I wandered the tiny alleys for over an hour stopping to watch a man crocheting a net. He let me help by showing me how he did it. He had no English and all I could say were my few Thai words but a great experience. They are such a delightful people. We finished our night with the group on a dinner boat ride up the river. Beautiful evening and home to the hotel. These guys are leaving for the airport to go home at 3AM. They promise to wake us up- we don't have to leave until 8 for Cambodia. They all seem a bit astounded that we are doing this on our own. It has been wonderful meeting them but I am ready to be on my own again and not accountable to 11 others. I would encourage anyone to see Thailand at least once. It is a unique experience and unique culture. It is a beautiful country.

Back in Bangkok

2007-09-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

This evening we returned via Nok Air to Bangkok. The flight was delayed for 4 hours so the only exciting thing we did was go to Mass this AM. It was in Thai and held at the cathedral in Chiang Mai. I am not sure what was going on but there were 20 priests and it looked like a high Mass. They seemed to introduce each priest and each got a round of applause. Maybe their anniversary? There were about 1000 peopole in attendance and halfway through there were 2 baptisms. This is unusual in this country which is 94% Buddhist and only 1% Catholic. I think they were all there today. At the kiss of peace we all bowed to each other. There were lots of other nice touches as well. This was a nice juxtaposition from yesterday when we attended a "monk chat" with a Buddhist monk. He explained Buddhism and answered our questions for about an hour. I am not sure I agree with them- I am sure I do not- but he was earnest and sincere and had a good way about him. He did seem excited to know that Protestant ministers can marry and he joked that maybe he would convert as monks are celibate. In the early AM- before dawn- we went out to give alms to the novice monks who collect the food in metal baskets and chanted over us. Very moving. you meet them on the side of the road outside their temple and kneel in front of them barefoot. We have seen and done so much these 2 weeks. I have not mentioned our fellow travelelrs but we all have gotten along pretty well. One of the men was bitten by a pack of dogs and has started rabies treatment. Rosa, one of the ladies travelling alone injured herself in a fall the first day and has developed cellulitis in her leg. My RN skills have come in handy every day.
Tomorrow we go to the Golden Temple here in Bangkok and finish this part pf our trip on a dinner boat ride on the Chao Phraya. Next day off to Cambodia on our own.

Chang Mai

2007-08-31T03:55:00.000-07:00

Suwahdee kha! That is the greeting you give to everyone as you fold your hand in prayerlike fashion. At least that is for women. If you are a man you say Krap instead of Kha. Needless to say the men all giggle and there is a lot of bathroom humor. I have also learned all my numbers and can count to 1000. I think I have about 20-30 phrases and words. Nothing is similar to us and their letters are absolutely different mostly like squiggly lines.
Today we went to elephant camp. We rode elephants with our mahout- the guy who lives with each specific elephant- for an hour through the jungle. There were about 7 in total- 2 to an elephant. You sit on a platform on their back while the mahout sits on his head. Along side us trotted the 2 babies that belonged to these girls. It was one of the most awesome experiences ever. We stopped while they grazed on wild sugar cane and then bananas. It was a little bumpy but we laughed the whole time. The babies kept trying to get into our backpacks looking for food. Elephant kisses are unreal and unforgettable. After our ride we rode on bamboo rafts down a river for about an hour. The jungle is very green- duh- and the birds can be heard but hard to see. Along the banks were other elephants with their mahouts sometimes batheing or getting a drink. There were also lots of water buffalo. The tribe here is the Lisu and I bought one of their hats. Very, very colorful and good in the hot hot sun. I am gettting Italian food tonight as I cannot face another bowl of rice. Thai eat the same thing for every meal and I know we are supposed to be eating like them but I need a break. Tomorrow we get up at 5 AM to give alms to the monks- rice again- and then we get to spend time questioning them about Buddhist philosophy. I have been studying up on it and have some questions planned. So Suwahdee Kha!

Myanmar amd Laos

2007-08-30T03:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a few days since we were able to get near a computer. Sometimes I have sent a post and it goes off into some Thai netherworld never to be seen again. We have been traveling in the far north of the country and for the last 2 days stayed on the Mekong River at the convergence of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar- formerly known as Burma. From the balcony we could see all 3 countries with the small fishing boats peacefully making their way up and down the muddy river. Myanmar is hard to get into and indeed Americans are discouraged due to the repressive political regime. It was heartbreaking to talk with a man who told me quietly that he had been a teacher until he chose the wrong side and now was selling postcards at the side of a temple. He said he had seen pictures of America but it was a hopeless dream. Soldiers watching us everywhere. We toured a village- all grass huts and earthen floors, everyone in the same room, the marketplace selling everything imaginable and of course the Temple. We were transported by motorized rickshaws and the drivers raced each other through the crowded streets. Very beautiful paople, carry groceries on their heads, the monks in their saffron colored robes and sandals. Laos was somewhat similar though the odd thing here was that they sell whiskey with dead cobras inside each bottle. Unimaginably gross. I am a little lost as to what I have written but the one thing that also stands out is our visits to the hill tribes. They live as they have for centuries, somewhat nomadic. At the 2nd tribe- the Akha- they asked me to examnine a 89 year old woman who seemed to be dying . She refused to go to the hospital- they had some sort of vehicle. I am not sure what was wrong though her pulse was strong and steady but I had the sense it was her kidneys due to her eyes. Our group leader is going to check but the family and tribe seemed to respect what I was saying and we are thinking we may have talked them into taking her. What an experience though I dreamt about her all night. Presently we are in Chiang Mai and I will continue tomorrow. Thanks for writing Dad and Bonnie. I miss you .

Bangkok part 4

2007-08-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

This is a little out of sequence. the last post seemed to take so I will try to recount our last day in Bangkok before taking off for the north. We were on our own for the day eschewing the optional tour. we hopped an upriver ferry to the golden palace district where we picked up a tuk tuk driver. These are the ubiquitous vehicles that consist of a small cart pulled along by a guy with a small motor. They zip in and out and half the time you have to close your eyes. Our guy, Mr Philom took us to the sacred mount where we cllimbed a few hundred steps to the temple. Our next stop was the lucky buddha. Here we were assured by a nice man with impecable English that if we bowed to this buddha we would have our wishes come true. I'll let you know if it works. We then were taken to the Gem Expo where Bert bought a citrine ring and I did a little Christmas shopping. After an abortive attempt by the driver to get us to buy a suit- though he did get us into the shop- we were deposited at the zoo. It is a really nice one and we especially enjoyed the langurs which are Thai monkeys. Soon enough we hailed another tuk tuk to the ferry and back to the National Museum. Wonderful collections. Someone likened it to something out of Indiana Jones and I can see it. My favorite were the golden funeral pyres and caissons. You cannot imagine how ornate they are. Gold everywhere and little jewels and intricate carvings. just unbelievable and over the top. The same was true for the things- can't remember the name- with which they ride on the elephants. We had been to the Royal Barge museum the day before. These kings really travel in style. About the king- Rama IX- his picture is plastered all over the country, sometimes with the queen or his children, but really everywhere you look. He is nearing 80 in December which will be a really big event here. These people really love their king and probably know more about his family than their own.

Thailand

2007-08-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

OK so this is my 3rd attempt to try to send a note. The last 2 days we spent at a beautiful resort in the jungle on the River Kwai- same one as the movie. I wrote 2 long descriptions of our really interesting days spent seeing the famous bridge and learning of the horros and atrocities perpetrated on the POWs by the Japanese. Tonight we are in Phitsanalok which is in the rice area. Much of today was spent riding on the bus stopping to see interesting things such as the Wat which was filled with columns of mirrors, including the floors and ceiling. Vegas has nothing on this place. The body of the abbot lays in state in a glass and gold case apparently not decomposing. A gold buddha is at the other end next to a skeleton. Cruising down a river on a rise barge we had lunch ,made with ingredients which we had to buy for ourselves in the local market using our limited Thai skills. Every meal consists of rice and meat and fruit and veggies stirred in. It is getting a little old to be honest. However it is good if a bit too spicy for me at times. Bert had to find a dentist this evening to replace a crown which had come off. That was a minor adventure but we found a dental clinic here in the city and they charged 300 baht- about 9 dollars to fix it.

The jungle surrounding the hotel that we stayed at on the Kwai River was another highlight. As night fell the sounds increased, gibbons, birds and some sort of insect made such a cacophony. It was great to just sit out on the room balcony and listen. The hills in the distance lit up with heat lightning and there was literally no evidence of anything manmade for miles. The river flowed right past the hotel. We had an hour long longboat ride from Hellfire pass- site of the infamous Thai Burma railroad - down river for 30 miles/ we passed huge bats, a 5 foot long monitor lizard sunning himself, beautifully colored birds and every kind of tree. There were a few areas where people live in floating shacks right on the water but for the most part it is totally unspoiled. This part of Thailand is quite beautiful- a marked contrast to Bangkok. Water buffalo stand in the rice paddies next to storks. Markets are set up everywhere selling every kind of food and trinkets. The people all smile and wave. Sawatdee-cha is the greeting. You fold your hands together as you say it.
I hope all is well at home. I miss you all and wish you were here to share this fabulous experience.

Kanchanaburi

2007-08-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

In checking this blog tonight I see that the part I wrote last night never was posted. I will have to recreate it later because I wrote it out but it is in the room. We are in the area made famous by the movie Bridge over the River Kwai. It is such a sad story of the brutality towards the POWs by their Japanese captors. Spent the morning touring areas of the railroad they built which killed most of them from the beatings and disease and malnutrition. Hellfire Pass was a mountain they leveled by hand. We later rode the remains of the railroad and had an hour long ride in a longboat down the Kwai for 28 miles. We passed a monitor lizard, beautiful birds and a few rafts that were houses. Mostly we saw only jungle and it was beautiful. The highlight of the day however was the visit to the Tiger Temple. I was the one who lobbied the group for this and, in the end, 2 other couples went with us. We arranged for a pickup truck to bring us and wait. So we rode in the back of the truck at 50 miles an hour an adventure in itself!. The temple started 12 years ago when the monks began to take in orphaned tigers whose parents has been killed by poachers in the nearby hills. They are quite tame but treated with love and respect. We were able to go right up to them and pet them, with a handler at our side while a second person took multiple pictures. At one point, the tiger I was petting rolled over with a growl for a belly rub whipping me with his tail. It was an unforgettable experience. There were 10 tigers present though 4 of them were pacing so we could not go to them. They were not drugged but had been just fed so they were somnolent. Each was full grown and just gorgeous. I could not imagine being able to do this in the States. Tiger canyon was defnitely a highlight of the week. Tonight following another Thai meal we pack for a long bus ride tomorrow to the north of the country. The weather so far has been hot and humid but no rain despite the fact that this is monsoon season.

Bangkok part3

2007-08-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Chao Phraya is like the Seine or the Thames in that it bisects Bangkok. Much of the city's commerce takes place on the water. As we went along the canals en route to our cooking class we passed people batheing in the klong, washing their clothes and fishing for catfish. Floating kitchens on sampans serve rice and noodles to customers in other boats. Each house has its own spirit house perfumed with incense and decked out with flowers and other offerings.

The Temple of the Dawn- Wat Arun- is 260 feet high tower on the river. Its exterior is covered with chards of chinese porcelain of every color embedded in the concrete. It shimmers as the sun hits it.

Bangkok part2

2007-08-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the day touring with our group led by Leky, a 48 yo Thai woman, very pleasant. We started with a trip through the flower market. Every color and smell and shape of flower imaginable. They start at 2 AM and run till late at night. We then boarded a longboat which is sort of a long canoe with a car engine at the back. We toured the klongs- canals - of Thonburi a rather ancient and unspoiled part of Bangkok. The people live in houses on stilts and open to the water. The water is pretty fetid but they fish- catfish- in it and we even saw a 6 foot long monitor lizard swimmimg next to our boat. It was fascinating to see the women in their sampans with their meals cooking onboard. We attended a cooking class given by Toom who was about the most entertaining cook I have ever met. She was so engaging and had us laughing for the whole hour as we made chili paste - a staple ingredient in the very spicy Thai diet.

Bangkok

2007-08-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well we survived our 17 hour flight. It went really well primarily for one reason. Bert was able to upgrade us to premium economy which gave us a little extra room and a bulkhead seat. Now we are really spoiled. Thai Air is great however the only thing I did not understand was why they gave us about 10 heavy metal utensils to eat with at each of the 3 meals they served. I am sure it added a couple of hundred pounds to the flight. So interesting to see the route taken, over the north pole, Russia , Uzbekistan, Afghanistan- a little nervous, the Himalayas, India, Burma and Thailand. We are staying in the Chinatown section of the city. Bangkok has about 10 million people. It is a mix of the ultra modern and the ancient and the dilapidated- all coexisting sometimes on the same block. The traffic is incredible with few traffic lights. Crossing a street involves a mixture of bravado and prayer-fervent prayer. We have a room on the 15th floor affording a view over much of the city. We were on our own for the first day or so before our fellow tour members arrived. We took the ferry boat downriver to the skytrain. Jim Thompson's house was very interesting. He was an exGI who came here in the 50s and reestablished the silk trade for Thailand. He was a major figure here and built a beautiful compound consisting of 6 teak houses either very old or rebuilt in the Thai fashion. One day he disappeared while on vacation in Malaysia and to this day no one really knows what happened to him. His home, open for tours, is an oasis in the heart of this noisy, crowded city. As you walk or ride around the city you see many gorgeous golden temples with flowers and incense offerings and Buddhas. We walked several miles in the 90 degree heat- don't ask- to see the golden buddha at Wat Tramit- a wat is a temple. Along the way we were frequently stopped by Thai citizens who wanted to talk to us about their city or ask about us. They are truly the most friendly people I have ever met. You are always greeted with a smile and the gesture in which they put their hands together as in prayer. Anyway the golden buddha was 12 feet tall and apparently solid gold. They did not even know this until about 20 years ago when they were moving him-he was covered in ceramic- and cracked off a piece. There he was all shiny gold. Can you imagine!
Today we met our fellow 11travelers-ranging from 30s to mid 80s. More on them later.My time is up.

Thailand and Cambodia

2007-08-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

So now that we have gone to the cold and survived, we are on to the hot. Tomorrow we leave via Thai Air JFK to Bangkok. They call NYC "the big apple", well they call Bangkok "the big mango". The flight is 17 hours plus nonstop , one of the longest flights you can take. I cannot imagine being pinned in economy for almost a day but I am excited to finally get to Asia and especially to see Ankor Wat in Cambodia. We will be gone for 3 weeks, first to "the mango" for 4-5 days meeting up with a group of 10 others on the 3rd day and then north to the hill country and the golden triangle. This is the former opium growing area now apparently home to the many hill tribes and rice paddies, tea plantations,etc.. We will see the Bridge over the River Kwai, visit an elephant camp and take several boat rides down the rivers. After we leave the group, Bert and I will fly on to Cambodia, to Siem Reap, home to the magnificent temples of Angkor for 4 days. Can't wait- well except for the flight- and maybe the heat-and maybe, well that's travel!

Stockholm

2007-06-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Now that we are home I should just finish up the last couple of days of this trip. The Skoda carried us up the east coast of Sweden toward Stockholm. We stopped on the way at the Gota Canal in the town of Soderling. The Gota was built nearly 200 years ago to facilitate boat traffic and commerce between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Today it is a tranquil way to spend 4 days meandering on your yacht through Sweden. Very picturesque village and great ice cream though it was $5 a cone.
Our hotel was on the outskirts of Stockholm which enabled us to park the car for the day and use the train to get into the city. We had a wonderful day exploring the Old Town- Gamla Stan. My Sweidsh is very poor. As an aside, for days whenever we met someone or to buy we were greeted by the person saying "Hey". I kept thinking it was just an affectation because we were American and they were being folksy. Took nearly 3 days for me to get that Hey means Hi. You say Tak for thankyou. In truth most of the time the people thought we were Swedish and it took several attempts to get them to speak English. Definitely the blond hair and blue eyes.
The highlight of what is a great city was the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was to be Swede's mightiest war ship built nearly 400 years ago. It was very tall and had 2 gun decks. So ornate nearly every square foot was covered with black oak intricate carvings of animals, gods, emperors, you name it. On its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbor a wind sprang up about 20 minutes into its trip and it sank! They lost 30-50 people, and over the years it was all but forgotten. In the 1950s a man dedicated himself to finding it and in 1956 they found it almost intact. Took a few years to raise it and restore it but today it sits proudly in its own museum 95% original. It is a fabulous site and we spent nearly 4 hours there.
After a bite at the Taste of Stockholm and a train back we were ready to say goodbye to Sweden. Actually I am never ready to say goodbye to any part of Europe. The weather was perfect throughout the 10 days. Usually in the 60s to 70s except in Iceland , of course, but there it was in the 50s and relatively clear.
One last note on the trip home. This proves what a small world it really is. When we went to Antarctica there was a nice man in his late 80s from Quebec. Traveling alone but one of those characters who was everywhere you looked . Always in the front of the line ,a little oblivious ,but kind of fun to watch. Well I got up to use the lavatory on the plane from Reykavik to Boston and noticed this guy who looked like Mariano sitting a few rows ahead of us. I attributed this mirage to fatigue and did not mention it to Bert when I sat down. As the plane landed and those in front stood up, Bert said "There's our guy!". I knew immediately who he meant. We figured it couldn't be. How could you see the same person in two such out of the way places? Nevertheless there he was at baggage claim. As we were talking to him about how amazing to see each other I asked him where we were going next. He answered either Madagascar or Senegal. I told him he was on his own but then I got to thinking.....

Karlshamn Sweden

2007-06-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

This morning we picked up our car. It is a Skoda Fabia. Basically a really base small car but the gas mileage is great and at $8 a gallon who cares. The countryside in Sweden is so beautiful. We passed rolling hills as green as Ireland with all kinds of crops and perfect little red farmhouses. It seems at least 75% of Swedish houses are red with white trim and a multitude of every color flowers. It is very appealing. After checking into our hotel we went to Morrum , the town where Bert's father was born. We headed for the church and within 5 minutes had found the graves of his grandparents. It was uncanny but Bert seemed to zero in on the exact spot. We later planted flowers on their site. These cemeteries are absolutely beautiful. Every plot is just filled with several types of flowers and shrubs. They are well tended and there is even a shed for spades and shovels and watering cans. We drove to the next village of Elleholm where, through a fortuitous turn and quirk of fate, found ourselves on a dirt road talking to a kid painting his barn-red of course- and he mentioned the cemetery down what seemed to be a deserted road. We followed his direction and again within minutes were standing at the gravesites of Bert's great-grandparents and their daughter. Again a fabulous setting near a stream. An idyllic place to spend eternity! Seriously if you have to have a hometown this area would make anyone proud. What is even better is that every single person we have encountered speaks perfect English. I had never really thought of Sweden as a must see place but I have changed my mind. Now if they would just lower their prices by about half...

Copenhagen

2007-06-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Iceland we saw Reykavik. Small city really little more than a town. It was kind of cute but easily covered in a few hours. The interesting thing about it is that all their heat is geothermal which means no fossil fuels needed and consequently no pollution at all. There are also no dogs and very few cats. The Icelanders feel dogs are dirty and banned them until a few years ago except on the farms. I only saw 1 or 2 the whole time. The evening of our flight we went to the Blue Lagoon which is a giant hot pool over a acre large outside, lots of minerals and kind of fun. It is surrounded by these large hills and very peaceful, as is much of Iceland. Our flight was at 1AM so we were tired but Iclelandair is a nice airline and we reached Copenhagen at 6AM. After a short ride on the train we reached our hotel hopeful that they had a room ready. No luck but they did store our bags and off we went to explore.
A ride on a canal boat was awesome. Copenhagen is so much fun and so beautiful. Lots of canals and colorful narrow old houses and wonderful masted boats. Three palaces and a city hall so ornate you have to see it. We saw Tivoli Gardens from the outside. It looks like a fairyland any child would love. Overall one of my favorite cities so far.
This morning we took the train to Malmo, Sweden where we are now staying in a gorgeous old hotel in a part of the city that dates back 500 years. For the past 7 years there has been a bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden called the Oresund Bridge. It is over 6 miles long but what a difference it has made in this part of the world. literally connecting Sweden to the rest of Europe.Malmo is so much better than I expected. There are streets with old, brilliantly painted canal houses covered in flowers. The streets near our hotel are trafficless unless you count the ubiquitous bicycles. Literally there are more bikes than cars. No wonder these women have great legs. Tomorrow we pick up a car and head out to Karlshamn to see where Bert's father came from.

Southern Iceland

2007-05-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

We have spent the past 2 days roaming the southeast part of Iceland. There is one main road which rings the island. It is mostly paved. Eighty percent of the population lives in Reykavik so the rest of the country is extremely sparsely peopled. There are few stores or places to stop. The silence is wonderful. The birds are so different, especially their calls. There is one that is a guillemot which sounds like a whirly bird. There are many hot springs. Monday we went to a waterfall , climbed up behind it and were able to stand in a grotto with the water falling, forming a rainbow in front of us. It was so awesome and we had it pretty much to ourselves. Our hotel is out in the country and had a hottub outside our room in which we sat drinking wine and looking at the snow capped glaciers and volcanoes off in the distance a few miles.
Yesterday we went on the Golden Circle which included a stop at the first Icelandic church, then the geysirs, followed by a visit to Gullfoss the largest waterfalls in the country. In the later afternoon we ended at Thingvellir the site of the world´s first parliament dating from 970 AD. The setting was truly spectacular. At the end of a huge blue lake surrounded by high jagged rocks bisected by a waterfall. This is also the site of the division of the tectonic plates separating the Americas and Europe. Very cool day. Of course we have not yet seen the dark. The sun really does not set and those dark shades come in handy. Today we are off to Reykavik and the blue lagoon with a flight to Copenhagen at 1AM. NO sleep for us !

Iceland

2007-05-28T03:08:00.000-07:00

What an interesting place! Just under a 5 hour flight from Boston. We went directly north over Labrador and Greenland landing near midnight. The sun was just starting to set. No matter it never got dark and started to rise an hour later. Our room was on the 4th floor of the Flughotel overlooking the harbor and mountains of Keflavik. Unbelievable sticker shock - the food and gas is unbelievably high. Gas is about $8.50 a gallon- now I cannot complain about our measly $3 a gallon. There are no trees anywhere. The land is barren but with such a stark beauty. Speaking of beauty you should see the people. They are tall, striking and with the most stunning eyes. Also love the red hair. As we were landing I could see geysers in the distance. We will leave here shortly to start to explore. We have rented a Toyota Yaris. The roads, such as they are, are quite narrow and much of them are unnpaved so it will be interesting. Will try to keep this up. Oh, the best part so far- they have TAB! It is in Icelandic but I already know this is going to be my souvenir.

Iceland

2007-05-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

I don't even like to be cold. I guess the lure of a cheap airfare is stronger than my anathema to cold. Anyway, on Sunday, May 27 we are off to Boston for 3 days in Iceland and then on to Denmark and Sweden. Will try to keep up with the blog but I am guessing there are no 50 cents an hour internet cafes in Scandinavia!

2007-02-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

One last post re this trip. Iguazu Falls are located in the upper part of Argentina, bordering on Brazil and Paraguay. There are over 300 falls in all and the major part of them are in Argentina and in the jungle. The local town is Puerto Iguazu, which is sort of a pioneer rustic town of a few thousand and about 11 miles away. The National Park, which encompasses the falls reminds me of a Disney creation only this is real and not fake. It is really well done to protect the ecologically sensitive ecosystem. It costs 10 dollars to enter the first day and 5 the next. We checked into our posada which I had prebooked from some recommendations online. Well I do not know who wrote these but Timbo Posada turned out to be little more than a hut in the village with 4 basic rooms. There was a bed, handmade of some wood, with threadbare sheets and some old faded green towels which were hard and rough to touch. The bathroom had just one faucet at the sink- only cold. The toilet had a tank above it for the occasional flush and the shower dribbled a slow stream of warm water. If you stamped your feet when you turned on the dim Christmas lightbulb, the roaches scattered. There was also a tree stump which was the bedside table. I was a little grossed out at first but we dropped our backpacks and immediately headed back to the park for the 3 hours before it closed the first day. By the time we came back the giant beers from the cafe next door made it seem sort of cute and we decided to stay. The kids who ran the place were so earnest and nice and they tried so hard, it would have been difficult to disappoint them.
To get to the park you take El Practico which is an old coughing bus that runs every half hour and costs 4 pesos each way. The park was great. On the first day it had started to empty out by 3 so we had it to ourselves. We took the little train out the "Devil's Throat" the largest of the falls. You walk on about a mile of elevated metal walkways over the rivers and swamps and forests. We saw remarkable birds- giant white herons, vultures, colorful ones and even a caiman. The thing tht I remember most were the butterflies. They looked at first like tiny pieces of colorfu scraps of paper floating in the air. They were absolutely astounding to watch and see. Every conceivable color, our favorite if there was one was a black and white one with scarlet stripe with what looked like the number 88 on each wing.
The next day we got there early and spent 10 hours doing all the trails and starting with the jungle explorer which involved a 4 wheel drive into the jungle followed by a boat ride capped off with a shower under the falls. We got drenched but the heat and humidity is so intense that it was relief. Picture 90 plus heat and humidity in the high 80s. You just do not dry and just walk around wet. I really sort of liked it and it did not really bother me but my hair was curly for the first time on my life. The highlight, though, was seeing the animals. We saw a toucan and some large blue and purple birds with yellow and pale tan bellies and tails- I now know they are plush crested jays. There were dozens and dozens of coati mundis which are a cross between an anteater and racoon. One of them jumped on a table about 10 feet away and grabbed a girl's empanada right from her hands. They were everywhere and so fun to watch. At the end of the day, as we were the last on a trai,l I looked over to my left and saw a capuchin monkey sitting on a branch watching me. As I looked back, I noticed there were about 5 others. They stayed for about 5 minutes eating bamboo and throwing things at us and then the troop moved on. I was thrilled. It was really a great day and I loved the jungle.
After our 2 days we flew back to BA and spent the afternoon yesterday in Recoleta visiting Evita's tomb in the necropolis cemetery and walking a few neighborhoods. After a 10 hour flight to JFK we arrived back in the US and are now home. It was an interesting month. I had never really thought about South America as a possible vacation destination. I found it fascinating and yet a little familiar. The people are kind and I never felt in danger or really uncomfortable. Thank you to those who sent your comments. I read them all and it really helped to stay connected. Now none of you have to listen to boring vacation stories!

2007-02-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Saturday and we took the ferry across the Rio de la Plata to Colonia, Uruguay. Now the river is pretty wide but you can see BA from Colonia in the distance but it takes forever to cross. We learned the BA subway system, navigating across 2 lines, and then walked the last half mile to the port. We were out of pesos however and stopped 2x to try ATMs. They would not allow us to get money and we were really getting worried. You never know if someone has gained access and cleaned out your account or whatever. Anyway, thankfully, at the pòrt their ATM gave us some money. However it was extremely windy and the ferry was delayed by 3 hours. It only runs once each way and so now our 6 hour visit was cut to 2 and a half- you have to leave time for customs. We decided to go anyway as we were there and it cost $70 each- a lot for down here. The ferry carried probably 700 people easily 250 of which were very small children. Mostly these were families taking their annual vacations to the beaches in Uruguay which are apparently quite beautiful and very cheap. When we docked we were first off the ship and at the historic center in about 10 minutes.
I have to say that this so far has been my favorite place on the trip. Colonia is a UNESCO world heritage site rebuilt with UN money. It was the original Portugese settlement in what is now Uruguay and is just wonderful. For a dollar you can go in 5 restored old homes and businesses from the 17th century. The streets are the original stones, very erratic and haphazard to walk on but authentic. There is the requisite Plaza complete with horse drawn carriage, very few tourists even on a weekend in high season and we had the place to ourselves. The flowers! Wow, they were every different color- even on the same bush! The streets were lined with rows of centuries -old sycamore trees. The shops were unobtrusive but charming. Oddest though were the decades- old cars on the streets. These were 30s era cars that still work and are a source of pride to the residents. All too soon we hurried back to the dock to find there was a 3 hour delay- surprise! So we rushed back out , grabbed a cab driver and asked him to show us the rest of the city. The historic part is just on the end of the peninsula. It seems we had missed the beautiful beaches on the banks of the river upsteam. It was still windy and the river is enormous so there were waves as big as Green Hill. Here's the difference. The river is chocolate brown. To me it would look like you were swimming in melted Hersheys. There were palm trees and white sand and chocolate waves- very surreal. So the driver showed us where the "rich" Argentinians live and the bull ring now "cerrado" closed and the jai alai also "cerrado. I was wondering what the poor folks do for fun when he proudly told us that "big man Bush" came in his helicopter complete with whoosh whoosh sounds- and stayed in the Sheraton hotel for the night last March. He was so proud.
The ride home on the ferry included even more little kids all of whom sat near us- you cannot be outside and are confined to a giant room. I thought they were adorable and enjoyed their playing and watching the parents but Bert felt as if he had been condemned to Dante´s 4th level of Hell. We made the last subway home with a few mishaps but pretty much in one piece.
My cold has leveled off slightly. I know cough medicine does not work but I am trying to think positively. Have I mentioned how the farmacias work here in South America? It is so weird and hard to get used to. You go in one, there is one every corner, you find a sales girl and tell her what you want. Nothing is out on display, all behind in the back. You cannot compare or ask price. This is not just for meds but personals like tissues, shaving cream, lotions, shampoo, anything you would buy in a drug store. She asks you all these questions then gives you a slip which you take to the cashier. After waiting in line, you pay and then go to another line with the receipt and they go in the back and get the stuff. Can you imagine doing this at CVS? Let me tell you it can also be quite embarassing.
Today we went to the San Telmo flea market. There are all kinds of buskers which were the most entertaining I have ever seen,- tango dancers, marionettes, tango bands, a stilt walkerwho reached down and grabbed me to kiss me almost knocking us both over, singers, statue people. I was looking at a leather purse and said out loud I needed one that was larger. The lady next to me said "buy it anyway you can always use it". I answered that 'when you live in RI you bring everything you own when you go out' and, of course, she is from Newport. She gave us her husband´s name and we are supposed to call him to say she is fine and staying another month. Later while eating lunch we were approached by a fellow American who is travelling on his own but is our age, staying in hostels and was in need of conversation with someone over 30. He was fascinating. There are few Americans here and they tend to seek each other out.
Tomorrow we fly up north to Iguazu Falls on the Brazil and Paraguay border for 2 nights in the jungle. I can´t believe I have to work in 5 days.

2007-02-16T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today we are back in Buenos Aires. It is marginally cooler than Mendoza but not much. The main story with us is that I have been really sick for 4 days. The cold that I got just escalated into literally the worst I have ever had. At this point my eyes are so infected that it is hard to see and it looks like I am continually crying. I am sure I infected the whole bus last night. I coughed and sneezed and everything else for nearly the entire 16 hours. I will never again complain about someone else with a crying baby or bad cold. I tortured those people and I felt terrible. The busses here have a system called semi cama or full cama- cama meaning bed in Spanish. The seats go nearly all the way back and there is a foot rest. Actually there is a good amount of space. Of course I could not understand the announcements. I had been told they were giving us supper and, when we got on, they handed us a sandwich with a slice of bread and a piece of cheese. No drink. I figured that was dinner and ,really, I haven´t eaten in 4 or 5 days. So we settled back and fell asleep even though it was 8 PM. At 10 PM the bus pulled into a rest stop and we got up and out with everyone for the restrooms. I noticed though that the other passengers had gathered in the restaurant next to it and it was here that they gave us dinner. So here we were in a truck stop on the road in the middle of Argentina eating some kind of breaded mystery meat and a huge portion of mashed potatoes. I am seriously missing vegetables. They then showed 2 movies which were in English and Spanish subtitles and really weren´t bad. Then everyone settled in to sleep while I kept them up coughing.
Tonight I went to a pharmacy and tried to explain that I want a cough suppressant not expectorant. Literally the pharmacist who was nice enough to open for us- we had to climb through a little hole in the door- had only 4 words of English - Have a nice Day! I had to laugh in spite of my pathetic condition. We had dinner in a Hungarian restaurant with reggae background music but the goulash was great that Bert had and so was my omelette which was the only thing we could understand on the menu. My Spanish is bad but forget my Hungarian. Besides it was the only place that would take Mastercard and we were out of pesos until we can find a bank tomorrow.
Tomorrow AM we are to take a fast ferry to Uruguay for the day. Hopefully the cough meds will work.

2007-02-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

I haven´t had a chance to write the past few days as I have had the worst cold in 10 years. We took a bus 2 days ago from Santiago to where we are now in Mendoza, Argentina. The bus ride was certainly an adventure in itself. The bus station was immense with thousands of people and hundreds of busses going in every direction. It is vacation time here and the busses are the primary mode of transportation. We saw very few English or foreign travellers- I guess they fly. Noone on the bus spoke a word of English and I could not get any of the announcements. Consequently, when we got to the border between Chile and Argentina, we were confused. The crossing of the border took 2 hours. They pulled one of our passengers off and made him get his luggage and that was the last we saw of him. The border itself is at the highest part of the Andes probably over 12000 ft. Within a half mile we saw snow covered Aconcagua which is the highest peak in the western hemisphere. It was magnificent but it did not look that much higher than where we were. The road through the mts was incredible. For the 20 dollar bus fare for the 7 hours it was a bargain. They even played a movie. Can you believe it was a kung fu movie with lots of screeching and heads being cut off in Thai with Spanish subtitles. Out the window was the real show. On the Chilean side you climb a very, very sharp series of 24 switchbacks and at times I had to close my eyes we were so close to the edge with the oncoming traffic. Once we passed the border, the Argentinian side was basically rolling down but much more colorful rocks. They were green and red and brown and white depending on mineral content. They rose up on both sides of the road and there were frequent tunnels which seemed very narrow to us on a double decked bus.
The bus station in Mendoza was similar in size to Santiago. We bought our ongoing tickets to Buenos Aires and hit the bathrooms. Unfortunately I kept getting aced out by a number of nuns in full habit. After 3 of them cut in front of me I took a deep breath and did not give up my position. I think they cursed me with this cold. We found a taxi to get to the B and B. When I asked the price it sounded like 40 pesos- about 12 dollars but when we got here he was mystified when we went to pay him. He only wanted a dollar. We gave him 2 and he was thrilled. This B and B named Plaza Italia is owned by a couple in their 60s, Mercedes and Tito, but run by her son Javier. Yesterday Javier took us on a tour of the wineries. We did 4 with a 5 course meal at lunch with a wine for each course. With my cold I was unable to fully appreciate them but suffice it to say this is wine country with over 125 wineries. I now know more that I ever thought I needed to know about Mendoza wine. This is a lovely city and we are staying in the heart of it on a secondary plaza. We cannot eat until at least 8 each night as there are no restaurants open. Most eat at 10. We stroll the city squares until 12 or so and they are crowded . I do not think the children ever go to bed. We actually watched a puppet show at 11 last night with lots of kids. As I write this at the B an B, there is someone´s pet duck quacking at me. I don´t know what that´s about but he hangs around with a large brown puppy. Every street is lined with dozens of trees usually sycamores. I have never seen such a leafy city. The temp is a bit warm in the 80s and 90 and it remains very warm well into the night. The few breezes are welcome.
The people here are eminently friendly and considerate except when it come to traffic. This is a city of nearly 500,000 and there are extremely few traffic lights. There are also few stop signs and they seem to serve merely as a suggestion rather than anything else. Honestly these cars fly up to each intersection and then it becomes a game of chicken. I am getting used to it but I would never drive here. Also Mendoza contains nearly every type of old car you may have owned in your life. This is an extremely dry climate- rain 5 days a year- water comes from the mountains- and apparently they never rust. We have seen probaly 20 Deux Chevaux, those old French cars that look like VW beetles, 50 years old and still going strong as well as hundreds of Ford Falcons from the 60s. It is really weird because it feels like you have gone back in time.
We had a minor incident this afternoon when one of the young kids, about 7, came up to us in the park and asked for a match. He caught us offguard as it feels so safe here and he was adorable but in a flash he grabbed for the backpack. Fortunately Bert was just as quick and saved it as the kid disappeared. Bert was feeling disturbed and unsettled and we walked to the main park. An elderly man in a suit approached us with a briefcase. He introduced himself. I am embarrassed to say I held my pocketbook close. He is Carlos Lopez, a local poet, and he wanted us to know that we are welcome in his home city. He asked about our lives at home and gave us a typed beautiful poem. He was just so nice. He wasn't looking for anything- just told us to enjoy ourselves. Such a counterpoint to what had happened a half hour before. To me this is what travel is all about. I would do better though if I could breathe. Javier just came by on his way home for dinner- it is 11 PM and I got the kiss-kiss, so my day is complete. Happy Valentine´s Day!

2007-02-11T16:04:00.000-08:00

Just a short note tonight as this hotel's internet is so easy and this is a good way for me to keep track of our trip without having to keep a journal. We started the day with Mass at the Cathedral and had the bishop himself so that was interesting. He is quite old and had someone at his elbow the whole time. The one thing that I thought was funny was that when we were on line for communion the choir was singing and I kept thinking the melody was familiar. Just before I got to the bishop, it hit me. It was the melody from the old song by Dionne Warwick '' I''ll never fall in love again''. You know it starts What do you get when you fall in love..... Well now I am wondering if old Burt Bacharach may have ripped this off years ago on a trip to Chile. Just kidding but I couldn't get it out of my mind..
The rest of the day we hit museums and walked miles and went to the top of the mountain on a funicular and then 2 cable car trips between the mts. I had my eyes closed the first one but enjoyed the second. Between the cable and the mt. we were up over a mile.On the way back wouldn't you know but we ran into a friend from the ship while having a beer. This city is huge and has 6 million but we found the only person whose address I took. So tomorrow back to Argentina and adios Chile.

2007-02-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

It has been so great to read all of your comments. We are off the ship now and in Santiago,Chile. We had a short morning yesterday in Punt Arenas,Chile which is the capital of southern Patagonia. It is a small city and good size port and most ships seem to stop on their way between the Pacific and Atlantic. It seems very prosperous. I guess there is money in sheep, which is the predominent industry. We had an hour to wander and we went into the church to light a candle. The usual things there but what I found interesting was a beautiful huge mosaic of Christ over the altar and, on either side of Him, was a mosaic of icebergs, guanacos, penquins and Torre del Paine. We also met an old man in the Plaza Mayor named Alberto and we bought from him a small canoe that he made from sealskin. He is an Indian from a local tribe in Puerto Eden. He was nice enough to let us take a picture of him but he seemed a little perplexed by the whole thing. After a 3 hour flight north we ended up at the Santiago Intercontinental, a beautiful hotel and, for some reason, we were given the penthouse suite. We sort of hated to leave it to go out but we had to eat. Too bad we could only stay 1 night but we have moved today to a different section and a lovely small hotel near the downtown but still filled with trees and flowers. Santiago is very hot and this is the middle of summer, running in the high 80s. This morning we mastered the Metro system and saw the changing of the guard at the Palace and visited the big Cathedral and the big main plaza. Santiago is a really clean and modern city. If you squinted a bit and could translate the Spanish, you could be in any big US city- only much cleaner. We met an artist, Juan, and I was so taken with his painting that I bought 2 of them. When he heard we were from the USA he wanted to know if we had heard of Hartford, Ct! Can you imagine! He got so excited when we explained where we were from that he discounted the paintings which were ridiculously cheap anyway and he gave us his mother's phone number. He volunteers each evening teaching disadvantaged and recovering addicts to paint. He was in Hartford to explain his program last October. His style is reminiscent of Van Gogh, using primary colors and broad strokes. He even ran over to some store and bought us a plastic tube to bring them home and would not take money for it.! I love travel and to meet people like Juan and Alberto.
This afternoon we went to Cerro Santa Lucia which is a very high hill in the center of the city. It was founded here in 1540. Nothing left as there have been numerous devastating earthquakes which have leveled the city. We climbed all the way to the top which was frightening as the steps were steep and I HATE HEIGHTS! I swear I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. When we got to the top of the tower, the wind kicked up and I was nearly paralyzed trying to hold on going down. These are not steps that would be allowed in the US. Nevertheless we could see all of the city and I guess it was worth it- now that I am on terra firma. The last thing I wanted to mention are the dogs. As in many South American cities there are no dog wardens so these friendly creatures roam the streets at will. They seem so placid and content though skinny. It was so funny when they were starting the changing of the guard. They keep all the people away but there was a German shepherd wandering and ended up leading the troops in at the front of the line. Even better was the basset hound who pushed me aside at the fence and sat down beside my foot to get a better look. When he got bored, he up and left. Later as we were leaving the park there were three dogs side by side sleeping lazily on the pavement in the heat when one of them spied a police car. Immediately they were on their feet barking at the car. It was the only reactions we saw from any of the dozens and dozens we saw today. Do you think they can read?
Well I guess that is all I can think of. I am sorry that you all are freezing in the northeast. I love reading and hearing from all of you. Thanks to everyone who is keeping Dad up to date. Morgan, I have seen Chileans who could be your twin. Bonnie, I am hoping the pictures with the binocular camera come out because I have gotten some awesome shots. Eric, I think you would like Chile but it is very different from Argentina. Brit, you would love all the animals and birds/ I wish I had your knowledge about them. Micky, Í wish my pictures would be half as good as yours. Now that I am warm again the Drake is just an awful memory. Did I tell you the crew told us it was their worst crossing ever. Not just the fact that there were 75 foot waves and hurricane winds but that it was so constant. As the week has gone on I have really begun to realize as did the other passengers how frightening it was. We have 1 more day here and then we have a 7 hour bus trip through the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina.

2007-02-08T01:30:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it but I got up at 4:30 this AM to get use of the internet and, after writing for 45 minutes, it was all wiped out. So I will try again but the ship is starting to wake up so I have to type quickly.On Wed we went on a 10 hour , 200Km bus ride - 400KM total on dirt and gravel roads to Torre del Paine National Park, the Chilean equilvalent of Yosemite. We were just 20 on our bus, which was great, as our group was on the younger side- all things being relevant- and fairly agile which was handy, as we got in and out frequently to take pictures. On the way we were mesmerized by the vast estancias and the pampas- grasslands and ranches. We stopped to watch gauchos put on a display with their cattle and then, a while later, we watched thousands of sheep herded around by the dogs and their 2 shepherds on horse back. I don't think it was a set up but rather that they are proud of their skills and, really, nothing else happens out here. We passed and saw a dozen or so condors soaring high in the sky and one came down quite close- I hope the picture comes out. As we neared the park, we started to see the herds of guanacos which are similar to llamas. Usually they were in groups but occasionally I saw one alone sitting on its haunches seemingly looking up at the hills contemplating its existence. At least that's what it looked like to me. There were black necked swans and some kind of goose, and nandus which are Chilean rheas- a smaller version of an ostrich.
When we got to the park entrance, after 4 hours on the road- very dusty and had to go slow- we were greeted by a grey fox who , I swear, posed for pictures. He let us get within about 5 feet and never bolted, just warily watched as dozens snapped pictures. The center of the park are the towers of granite. They are massive and reach thousands of feet into the sky- ending as horns. Very compelling to look at. They change constantly in appeance in color from the light and the appearance and disappearance of clouds. It is very windy there- that is putting it mildly. There are many lakes mostly glacial and they are this sea- foam green color that is awesome ,but that contrasts with the Sarmiento Lake which is the most beautiful color blue I have ever seen. I really could have looked at it all day. What is so different here also is that we were nearly the only ones in the park. In the US the cars line up and shuffle along. Here it was unusual to see anyone else.
We arrived back to the mother ship after a long but great day to find a wonderful surprise in our cabins. Hurtigruten has decided to refund 100% of our cruise fares because of the difficulty and lost time when we rescued the other group. We were shocked and it was a terrific way to end the day.
Today we are sailing through the fjords and we end our cruise portion tomorrow in Punta Arenas and fly to Santiago, the capital of Chile.

2007-02-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

For the past 2 days we have been sailing through the Beagle channel and now the Strait of Magellan. Last evening we went through some fabulous fiords with glaciers that towered over us by hundreds of feet and went right down to the water. All kinds of birds and we went right up to a colony of sea lions who protested loudly. Their babies were precious and fun to watch. The Garabaldi Glacier was unbelievable- crystal blue in places- which I guess signifies very old ice. There is much evidence of global warming, especially when it is pointed out to us where these glaciers were last year. The weather changes constantly from a bit of sun to fog to rain and drizzle. This AM we were followed by 4 minke whales for awhile. Mostly we can just sit on the 7th floor panoramic deck and watch the world go by. The world, of course, consists of high undulating mountains which are the end of the Andes before they drop into the sea at Cape Horn. There are no villages or inhabitants at all. Without the computers we would not have any idea of the outside world. Tomorrow we are on a long bus ride to Torre del Paine park. On the way we are hoping to see Condors and Guanacos which are cousins to llamas. I will be happy to spend the day on land but I hope we can hike a bit and not have to sit too long. Hope you are all well. I have been enjoying my new IPOD immensely. It has been the best thing I brought along.

2007-02-04T04:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we spent the day at Puerto Willliams which is a tiny settlement in Chile. While Ushuaia bills itself as the southernmost city in the world, Puerto Williams is really the southernmost town beating it by several miles. This is a Chilean navy town with about 2000 people. Though the setting is spectacular, on the Beagle channel surrounded by mountains and beech forests, there is little to do. We spent an hour looking for a store to buy something but they only open a couple of hours a day, Most of the houses are made of metal and are prefab. We hiked in the forest and visited a small Indian museum. The Yamana Indians inhabited this area and still survive in a small group. What is interesting about them is that they wore no clothes. How they could do this is beyond me; it is freezing here and it is summer! While we were out yesterday, a storm came up out of nowhere with fierce winds and driving rain and we ran for the ship. After dinner we walked over to the - ahem- yacht club to experience and drink the southernmost pisco sour. This "club' is a wreck of an old german ship and we had a great time. What was most interesting was that we started to talk with the other passengers about our recent crossing on the Drake and everyone finally started to admit how absolutely frightenening it was. We were tossed around for 2 days and the crew now admit that it was the worst they'd seen. We had lost our engines for a short time when a 75 foot wave washed over the bridge and as the ship was tossed up, the propellers came out of the water. We listed several times to the side. We saw 2 cruise ships in Ushuaia which had started out south during the storm and had to turn back. They were amazed that we made it. The Prinsendam lost all their dishes and they had many passengers injured from falling down and falling objects. This experience has been more an adventure than a cruise but I am still glad I came. Just do not think I will ever attempt the Drake again.
This morning we have come to Cape Horn, graveyard of thousands of ships. It is a series of tall granite rocks and there is a small landing site. Alas we are in a force 12 gale and landing is impossible so we will sail around it 2x. I absolutely can see why they had to build the Panama Canal. There is such a stark beauty to the area. Albatrosses fly by along with many seabirds, no trees but the rocks have a green covering of lichens and moss. I do not think we have a landing scheduled for a couple of days. I am getting used to walking sieways!

2007-02-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Before I forget I wanted to tell you that to access some previous posts you have to type in rimare1.blogspot.com.In those posts I talked about the fact that we had to lose 2 days of our trip to rescue our sister ship, the Nordkapp. We took on more than 300 extra people and it was a bit crowded. We gave up our larger room and moved to a small room near the crew in the bow of the ship. It was a noble move but we paid for it in spades. For the past 3 days we have endured the worst storm of the season. There were 70 foot waves and wind in excess of 100 mph. Being in the bow, the ship would go up the 50- 70 feet and then drop down. At first it was fun, like Coney island rides ,but after 24 hours of nothing to eat or drink and being unable to move without falling, it was really hard. The water kept crashing into the window and all last night it really sounded like the ship was going to break apart. I only got sick once and actually outlasted Bert by 2 hours. We are back now in Ushuaia to drop our refugees off and leave for Cape Horn in the AM. We just walked the town though it was late when we got here. Luckily the Argentine people eat at 10 at night. I had always wanted to see Ushuaia and here I am back in a week. So the Drake Passage which can be the Drake Lake, Shake or Quake was the latter. What an experience and I will never forget it. You haven't lived until you have tried to take a shower under conditions like these, having the floor literally drop from under your feet. As we finally made the Beagle channel this afternoon and its calming effect, I felt like cheering but instead looking back south towards Antarctica, we saw a beautiful rainbow.I love the birds that follow the ship especially the rare albatross. They are huge and remind me of the poem we had to study in high school, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge, I think. You wouldn't want one of these things around your neck.
So tonight we went back to the wine store we found last week and stocked up on more white. It costs a princely sum of $3. I loved reading all your comments and appreciate those of you who share them with Dad. Miss you all and now that I am figuring out this blog thing I hope to keep it up.